


Tails Adventure - Lingering Spirit

by Xelda



Series: Sonic Xelda Continuity [2]
Category: Sonic X, Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon, Combining Canons, F/M, Minor Violence, Possession, Reviving Dead Character, Tailsmo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xelda/pseuds/Xelda
Summary: Tails receives a late-night visit from a former enemy, who offers him a proposition that might see his beloved friend to come back to life. Deciding that he can't let a chance like this slip by, Tails accepts and sets out on an adventure to bring back Cosmo. Will Witchcart make good on her offer? Or will Tails get more than he bargained for?Takes place in a world of mostly game canon, with elements from the Archie Comics and (obviously) Sonic X mixed in.
Relationships: Cosmo the Seedrian/Miles "Tails" Prower
Series: Sonic Xelda Continuity [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200998
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I said that my next story would be '06-related, buuuuuuuut... I just had this idea one night and it was one of those ideas where your eyes shoot wide open and you're like "Oh my god, I HAVE to write this". So here I am ^_^;;
> 
> Honestly I'd been debating with myself for so long whether I wanted to think of a way to work Cosmo into my fics or not. I love her (and Tailsmo) so much, but her death in Sonic X was so wonderfully done that I didn't want to just say it never happened, and I didn't want to bring her back via Deus ex Ass-pull, either. If she returned, it'd have to be through a trial that almost costs Tails everything.
> 
> And yes, I know the game that Witchcart appeared in was Tails Sky Patrol, not Tails Adventure, but... it was just too catchy of a title, okay? This is A Tails adventure, not THE Tails Adventure, a'ight? :)

Miles “Tails” Prower was working late into the night, nearing the stroke of midnight, on a pair of shoes that would aide Sonic in his next adventure. So focused was he on his task that he had failed to even notice how dark it had become outside. He moved back-and-forth between his workbench and his computer, inputting data and running experiments until he was satisfied that his invention was working as intended.

“Alright, I think I’ve got it!” he cheered as examined the underside of one of the shoes. “They’re more durable than they were before, and should be able to store more energy from Power Rings! But I’m a little worried about the weight… I wonder if they’ll significantly affect Sonic’s speed?”

Tails heard a noise behind himself, and jumped as he turned to see what it was. The door to his workshop remained closed, and there was nothing that seemed to have fallen inside the room. He put down the shoe and approached the door, looking around as he began to grow nervous.

“My, I didn’t realise you were into gardening, Tails.” Tails practically leapt out of his skin as a voice called out from behind. It was a grating voice, and one that he was familiar with. He turned to find its owner, Wendy “Witchcart” Naugus – a troll witch – stood before him, laughing at his stunned expression. “I must say, it’s a lovely little sapling.”

Tails noticed the plant pot in her hands and gasped, racing forwards and grabbing it as he swung his tails. “GIVE THAT BACK!”

“Oh!” Wendy jumped back to avoid the attack, amused at the reaction she had gained. “My, so aggressive over a little plant!”

Tails held the pot protectively, glaring at the witch. “it’s not just a plant! It’s-”

“Your dear friend. Cosmos, was it?”

“Cos _mo_ ,” he corrected, and then regarded her with a confused look. “How do you-”

“Word travels fast. At least, when it’s news concerning you and your friends. Are you hoping she’ll grow back if you just water her and expose her to enough sunlight?”

Tails looked down at the sapling. While it was true that it had sprouted since he put the seed into the pot, its growth had stopped shortly after that. “I… I don’t know, but what else _can_ I do?” He returned to glaring at Witchcart. “Anyway, I don’t see how that’s any of _your_ business! What are you doing here?”

“My, my, my! Haven’t you turned into quite the feisty one?” Cackling, Witchcart walked over to Tails’ workbench, inspecting the shoes that were laying there. “It must be that Quickster’s influence. I recall you were far more timid, when we last met.”

“I still kicked _your_ butt, and I’ll do it again, if you don’t leave now!”

“But I come to you with an offer!”

“Not interested!” Tails opened the door, punctuating his disinterest.

“Really? Not even when it concerns your little girlfriend?” Though his face didn’t change, his eyes moved momentarily to the sapling. Witchcart cackled. “There may be a way to bring her back, you know? But doing so will require the kind of magic only _I_ can offer.”

Tails rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. And all I have to do is, what? Help you conquer a city? Sell information on GUN’s defences? Or maybe you just want me to lure Sonic into a trap.”

“All I want from you, dear, is… a body.”

At this, Tails raised an eyebrow. “A… what?”

Sighing, Witchcart rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm which was far more wrinkly than the rest of her body. Some of the skin fell off, evaporating into mist as it hit the floor. “Do you recall how I looked when we first met?”

Tails nodded. “You were human, or _looked_ more human, at least. Actually, I was kinda shocked when I saw you next time and you were… well…”

“That was my brother’s doing,” she told him, pulling down her sleeve. “When he found out that I’d let myself be defeated by a mere child, he laughed at me! He claimed that it was proof that my human blood was holding me back! He then cast a spell, that turned me into… _this_!”

“Your brother?” Tails asked.

“ _Walter_ Naugus. Unlike me, _he_ inherited our father’s genes, and was born a troll! While I admit that this form _has_ made me more powerful, it also comes with some rather nasty side-effects.”

Tails thought back to the state that her arm was in. “It’s falling apart,” he surmised.

“At the rate that it’s degrading, I’ll be nothing but dust by this time next year.” She regarded Tails now not with a look of amusement, but one of pleading. “You are the only one I can turn to. The only one who can help me, and might just show enough mercy to do so.”

Tails tried to keep a stern face. “What makes you think I’d show you mercy?”

“Because you’re you. You showed mercy to me and my henchmen before, and even to that birdbrain from the Battle Bird Armada.” Witchcart dropped down to her knees, wincing as she moved, and bowed her head. “Please.”

“…” Sighing, Tails asked, “What do you need?”

Witchcart grinned. “A new body. One that I can put my spirit into.”

“You’d just abandon your old body? Just like that?”

“This body is done for,” she said. “I’m not strong enough to undo my brother’s magic. The next best thing I can do is escape it.”

“Well, have you tried… asking your brother for help?”

“Unfortunately, Walter is gone. He was defeated not long after he cursed me to this form.”

“And if I help you, you’ll… You think you can bring Cosmo back?”

“I can. I know of a magical artefact that can do just that.” Witchcart raised her head and pointed to the sapling. “So long as _some_ form of her still remains, I can restore her to the point before she died. The fact that the seed has sprouted into a sapling is proof that her spirit still lingers.”

Tails looked at the sapling, staring at it for several long moments as he mulled over the witch’s proposal in her mind. “… If I do this, I want you to promise that you’ll do no more bad things.”

“If I were to make that promise, _you_ would have to do something extra, too,” Witchcart replied, and upon seeing Tails’ glare returning, she sighed. “Magical contracts are very particular, boy. Each party must benefit equally from it. I agree to bring back your friend, and you give me a new body. If you demand more of me, _you’ll_ need to offer more, first.”

“So even if I do this, you’ll still continue doing bad things.”

“And if you don’t, you may lose the one chance you have to bring Cosmo back to life.” Rising to her feet with a groan, Witchcart approached the young fox. “Of course, you defeated me before. Surely you can do it again, right? Are you really going to pass up this chance, just to keep me in-check?”

“It wouldn’t be right to take such a huge risk like that,” he said, his eyes wandering to the sapling in his arms again. “But I…” Clenching his eyes shut, Tails gritted his teeth together, trying to get out the words, ‘No! Get out! I’ll never help you!’. Instead, he opened his eyes, and slowly reached out a hand. “Okay.”

Grinning, Witchcart shook his hand, a dark-purple aura surrounding them. “Don’t be alarmed,” she said as she noticed Tails being startled by the sudden intrusion of magic. “This is simply the contract being established. The terms are set, then.”

“But we bring Cosmo back, first!” Tails sputtered quickly, hoping to set the rules in _his_ favour before it was too late.

“Fair enough,” Witchcart agreed, and then the magic dissipated. She reached behind herself and pulled up her hood. “Well then, I’ll return in the morning, after you’ve had a good night’s rest. It _is_ well past your bedtime, after all.”

Tails watched in silence as the witch left his home, the door closing behind her. With a heavy sigh, he slowly walked back over to his workbench, gently placing the plant pot down and staring at it. “I hope this is the right thing to do… I wonder what Sonic would say?” Looking over to his computer, Tails walked over and sat down. “I should send him a message, just in case Wendy tries to double-cross me…” His hands hovered over the keyboard, frozen as he tried to decide what he should write.

“… Tomorrow,” he decided, climbing out of his chair and turning off the lights, before climbing into his bed. It was late anyway, and Tails knew that he would need a clear head before confronting Witchcart the following morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up the following morning, Tails scrambled to gather his things and prepare for Witchcart’s arrival. Having slept on it, Tails was more sure than before that he wanted to take this chance. Though he may not have liked Witchcart, she _was_ bound by a magical contract, and he knew that those were unbreakable even by the ones who set them. She was also weakening, and he was confident he could handle any sudden betrayal on his own, especially with his latest weapons he had developed since the Black Arm invasion.

To be safe, though, he wrote an email to Sonic telling him of the situation. He was worried about how Sonic might react, or that he might even try to interfere, but he knew that if things turned bad, Sonic would be able to help. Besides, he couldn’t deny that he was going on this adventure for his own, selfish reasons. No matter how Tails tried to rationalise it to himself, he knew that he was following his heart, not his head. But when he saw that sapling, shining in the morning sun, any objections raised by his head were meaningless.

“Just wait a little longer, Cosmo,” he said as he collected the plant pot, carefully loading it into the Cyclone. “You’ll be back with us before you know it, and then, we’ll go and surprise everyone! And if that Wendy Naugus tries to start trouble again, we’ll all be ready to face her together!”

“Talking to a plant?” Tails jumped, turning to face Witchcart, who had welcomed herself into his workshop. “Please tell me you actually got some sleep last night.”

Tails let out a calming breath. “Of course I did. I was talking to my _friend_!”

Wendy grinned. “Well, it’s good that you’re well-rested, because the place we’re going to will be dangerous!”

“Where _are_ we going, exactly?”

“It’s a place called the Devil’s Gulag. It’s-”

“‘Devil’s Gulag’? Isn’t that a maximum-security prison, owned by the Acorn family?”

Witchcart seemed impressed at the boy’s knowledge. “So you’ve heard of it. Only the nastiest of ne’er-do-wells go there! At least, that used to be the case. There was a massive jailbreak last year, though, and since then, the facility has been abandoned.”

“Why?” Tails asked as he hopped into the Cyclone, Witchcart climbing into the passenger seat. “Couldn’t the King get it under control?”

“You’ll learn, once we get there,” she assured him. “Now let us make haste! I can feel my body worsening by the second!”

Tails took in a deep breath, and then started the Cyclone’s engine. The front of the workshop opened, and the trees lining his runway tilted to the side, allowing a clear path for the plane to take-off. “By the way, what about your henchmen? Are _they_ gonna be joining us?”

“I figured you would be more at ease if it was just the two of us,” Witchcart said. “You aren’t already having second thoughts, are you?”

“Well…” Tails looked down at his radar, seeing no signs of anybody following them. “… No. I guess that makes sense.”

For the rest of the flight, the two remained silent. Tails focussed on the mission, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of trouble. Behind him, Wendy Naugus could barely contain her laughter as she watched the world pass them by in complete glee.

* * *

The two arrived at the Devil’s Gulag hours later. The facility was located on an island, surrounded by a ring of active volcanoes. The heat from the lava flow made the surrounding waters treacherous to any ships attempting to enter by sea, making air travel the only the safe way to enter or exit the island.

As they descended towards the prison, Tails noticed how deserted the place was. The facility itself was in shambles, with sections of walls destroyed and the fences toppled over. It was clear to Tails that what Witchcart had said was true when he saw that the main gates had been completely destroyed, and a large number of weapons were strewn about the place, indicating that a large battle had taken place, likely between the guards and the inmates.

They moved past the prison itself, and landed at the entrance to a cave further down the island. “This island wasn’t just used to hold _criminals_. It was also home to many magical artefacts that the Acorn family didn’t want falling into the wrong hands.”

“Hands like yours,” Tails said.

Witchcart cackled as the two climbed out of the plane. “Well, most of those items were taken back to the capital after the prison fell. There is _one_ item that remained, though, because its guardian was so ferocious that even King Acorn did not want to fight it.”

This unnerved Tails. He held on tight to the plant pot in his arms, and asked, “Then how are _we_ going to beat it?”

“Hah! The King is weak, but _you_ are the hero that saved an entire city from destruction at the hands of Doctor Robotnik, are you not? Not to mention that _I_ am a master of the arcane arts.” She punctuated her statement by enveloping her hand in a dark mist. “We’ll be fine. Unless you want to call it quits here? Now is your last chance, boy.”

Tails heard a growling coming from within the cave. He was scared – terrified, even – but then he thought of how scared _Cosmo_ must have been, looking down the barrel of that cannon and asking him to pull the trigger. She sacrificed her life to give everyone else a chance. Now, it was _his_ turn to be brave, and put his own life on the line.

Without a word, he stepped forwards. Witchcart followed him, and as the two entered the dark cave, she used a spell to illuminate the area. Tails’ ears fell back against his head and he paled as he saw the face of the guardian standing before him. Or rather, _faces_. Three large heads glared down at the intruders, saliva dripping from their mouths that eroded the ground, and large as large, red eyes bore into Tails’ soul.

“Cerberus,” Witchcart spat, readying a spell as she took a step back. “The three-headed beast that inhabited this island, long before it was even discovered by the Acorn family.”

Cerberus roared and raised its forelegs, bringing them down towards the two intruders. Witchcart dodged to the side whilst Tails flew into the air and zipped around, watching as each head followed him. “I’ve gotta put Cosmo somewhere safe!” Looking around, Tails found a ledge jutting out of the side of the cliff and flew over to put the sapling down. “Just wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”

Witchcart fired a blast of magical energy at Cerberus, causing it to jump back and focus its attention on her. She charged another attack as it charged, and at the last second, she fired, pushing it back and driving it back towards the cave.

Tails reached into his pack and pulled out a container filled with small golden rings. Artificial Power Rings that, rather than generating energy, explode upon impact. He threw it down at one of the heads, and the container broke open, releasing a dozen rings that exploded as they rained down on Cerberus. He threw another one down, and then pulled out a small red energy cannon and slotted it onto his left arm.

“Keep it up, boy!” Witchcart cheered, cackling as her magic took the form of a whip and she lashed at the beast.

Tails took aim and fired a volley of blasts at Cerberus. Eventually, the three heads unleashed an earth-trembling roar that dissolved Witchcart’s magic and threw off Tails’ balance, causing him to plummet to the ground.

It turned to the fox and growled, three pairs of eyes glaring as he picked himself up. Aiming his cannon, Tails noticed that it had been damaged from the fall and quickly threw it aside. Cerberus charged, and Tails took to the air once more to flee, one of the heads nipping at him as he barely managed to escape over sea.

Cerberus came to a stop, looking down at the heated water below him and huffing. Seeing Tails at too great a distance, it crouched and the left head barked, a large ball of fire shooting out as it did so. It continued barking, and more shots were released. Tails manoeuvred around them as best he could, searching frantically for a specific item in his pack.

“Hey! Over here!” Witchcart yelled, holding out her hand and unleashing a barrage of crystals at Cerberus. They pummelled it from behind, prompting the right head to look over its shoulder and unleash a breath of ice that quickly spread across the ground, making its way towards the witch. “You think the cold scares me?! Hah!”

Using her magic, Witchcart unleashed a flurry of flames that met with the ice and melted it. Seeing this, Cerberus turned around and unleashed both fire and ice together at her. As she melted the ice, Witchcart put up shields to deflect the flame attacks, but juggling between the two left her no opportunity to attack, and she was starting to sweat. “Boy, a little help!”

Tails, now having an opening, managed to find what he was looking for. It was a small gadget, along with five Red Rings. Seeing Witchcart in trouble, he flew down to his Cyclone and took off, flying around Cerberus as he fired on him. “Witchcart, catch!” Tails threw down four of the Red Rings, and when he saw her catch them, he said, “Place them around Cerberus, and make sure they’re equal distances apart!”

“Do I look like a mathematician to you?!” Witchcart yelled back.

Looking down, Tails fired four missiles that ignored Cerberus, and instead struck four points on the ground around it. “There! I’ve marked the points! I’ll keep him distracted!”

Looking at the rings doubtingly, Witchcart was about to ask what they do, but when she saw that Cerberus had directed its full attention on Tails, she decided to just do as he said. Using her magic, she cloaked herself in a veil of mist and carefully moved the rings through the air, navigating them to the points marked by the impact blasts.

Dodging the flames and the icy breath, Tails continued to fire on Cerberus, ensuring it stayed focussed on him and not on Witchcart. He couldn’t believe he was going so far to protect her, but then, Sonic would probably do the same.

Cerberus’ middle head began to growl, and as it did, electricity sparked from its mouth. Tails’ ears fell flat against his head. “Oh no…” Fire and ice he could deal with, but lightning? The middle head roared, and out came a strike of lightning, accompanied by a thunderous roar. “IYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Tails closed his eyes and stepped on it, speeding up and flying blindly as he heard another bout of thunder. “Witchcart, hurry!” Another strike of lightning narrowly missed the Cyclone, but then another came, and it hit directly. The Cyclone’s systems shut down and Tails began to fall towards the steaming water.

“W-What do I do?!” Tails panicked as he began to pushed buttons and pull levers randomly. “If I was with Sonic or Knuckles or Amy, or _anyone_ , I’d be able to tough it out, but on my own I just-”

“Boy! The rings are in-place!” Witchcart yelled out. “Do whatever you’re planning! You want to save your friend, don’t you?!”

Tails gasped. “That’s right… I’m _not_ alone! Cosmo’s here, and she’s counting on me to be strong!” Cerberus let out another thunderous roar as another bolt of lightning struck the Cyclone. Tails closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them with fierce determination. “I can do this! It’s just a little lightning!” His mind now calm, Tails reactivated the Cyclone and pulled it up moments before it hit the water.

Cycling around, Tails flew over Cerberus’ heads and took out the final Red Ring, as well as his invention. Throwing them both into the air, he stepped on it and flew away as the gizmo sprang to life, emitting a brilliant orange light that scattered and met with the four other Red Rings.

Cerberus looked around worriedly as the light encircled it, creating four walls that all met at a single point high above it. Roaring, it charged the wall, crashing into it and falling to the ground. The wall shimmered, but remained undamaged.

“It worked!” Tails cheered, landing next to Witchcart, who marvelled at the sight. “I mean, I knew _theoretically_ it was fine, but to see it actually confirmed in the field!”

“What _is_ this?” Witchcart as.

“It’s a shield generator,” Tails answered. “I’d made it with the intention of capturing Eggman or whatever he throws at us next. It was originally designed to use Power Rings, but Red Rings are far more powerful and last a lot longer.” Turning towards the cave, he added, “Now we can look for that magical artefact in peace.”

Looking down at the ground, Witchcart noticed that Cerberus was backed-up against the edge, where the only thing that awaited beyond it was a steep drop into the boiling sea. Grinning, she summoned her magic and struck the ground, causing a tremor that formed a crack just outside of the shield’s perimeter, spreading fast. With another blast, the ground split, and the chunk of land that carried Cerberus fell down into the sea, the beast’s howls fading before a splash was heard.

Tails was shocked. He couldn’t move, watching as Witchcart faced him with a smug, victorious look upon his face. His fists clenched and his blood boiled as he shouted, “What did you do _that_ for?! He was trapped! He wasn’t a threat anymore!”

“For how long?” Witchcart asked. “Was that shield of yours _really_ going to last us long enough? What does it matter, anyway? We didn’t need that thing alive.”

“That doesn’t make it okay! He was a living creature, just like you and me!”

Witchcart rolled her eyes. “Oh please! Showing mercy to a beast that just moments ago was trying to kill you? This is why that Eggman is _always_ able to come back and torment you more.”

“I showed _you_ mercy, remember?”

“No, boy, you didn’t _choose_ to let me go. You had no choice, because you were too _weak_ to finish the job.”

“I… You…”

“What’s done is done,” Witchcart finished with a shrug of her shoulders. “Now go pick up that plant and let’s be on our way!”

Tails watched as Witchcart entered the cave. He wanted to say something, to continue berating her. But ultimately, she _was_ right that there was no going back now. Cerberus was gone, and no amount of yelling or fighting could change that. But there was still a chance for Cosmo.

Flying up to the ledge, Tails was glad to see that the sapling was exactly as he had left it. Smiling, he picked it up and flew back down, meeting Witchcart inside the cave as they continued to move in deeper.

The deeper they went, the darker it became. At least that’s how it was at first, which made sense. But then Tails began to notice that, at some point, there were torches on the wall, providing _some_ level of light. The tunnel was eventually bright enough that Witchcart’s magic was no longer needed to see where they were going. “It’s just ahead now,” she said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tails could see a figure in the darkness. He gasped and turned to face it, and there, he found a troll that looked an awful lot like Witchcart, only it was male, and slightly taller. The troll had a metallic claw in-place of one of his hands, and a sword impaled from his chest, pinning him to a wall.

“Walter Naugus,” Witchcart said, looking up at the lifeless body of her brother. “This was where he met his end. The sword piercing him is none-other than the Sword of Acorns, an heirloom of the Acorn family.”

“Why did they just leave it here?” Tails asked, turning his head away.

“Likely because Cerberus was guarding it,” Witchcart said. “What we seek is further in. Let’s move.”

Tails followed the witch. As he did, he couldn’t help but wonder just what had happened here, one year ago. Walter Naugus was slain by the King inside this cave, which means that the two of them had already made it past Cerberus, who was guarding the entrance. If that was the case, how was the King unable to retrieve his sword, or the artefact that lay further ahead? Tails clutched the plant pot and eyed Witchcart suspiciously. Either she was hiding something, or there was something else, some part of the puzzle that they were both missing.

‘ _What am I thinking? Of_ course _she’s hiding something. I can’t believe I’m even entertaining the idea that she’s not scheming something. I should turn back now._ ’ Looking behind himself, he wondered if he could even make it through the dark cave on his own.

“We are here,” Witchcart said. Tails found himself standing in a large chamber, at the centre of which was a pedestal holding a large, black jewel. It looked almost like a Chaos Emerald, only it was black, and slightly larger. “This is the Ancient Onyx.”

“The ‘Ancient Onyx’…” Tails approached the jewel and examined it.

“Place the sapling atop the artefact. I will use my magic to channel the jewel’s power, and with it, I should be able to restore your friend.” Tails hesitated. Something about the jewel seemed off to him. It gave off a very ominous aura. He also couldn’t help but feel he should be asking about his suspicions regarding her story. “Tails, we entered into a magical contract, remember? I _will_ fulfil my part.”

Tails looked down at the sapling, his heart racing. If this worked, he’d be able to see Cosmo again, to hold her hand, to tell her all the things he wanted to before she met her grim fate… He placed the plant pot atop the Ancient Onyx and backed away.

Grinning, Wendy raised her hands and began to chant something in a language Tails didn’t recognise. Black mist rose from her body and surrounded the Ancient Onyx and the sapling. Tails wondered if it was too late to stop this, but his legs wouldn’t move even if he wanted them to! The mist grew thicker, and Tails involuntarily brought his arms up into a defensive position.

With one final chant, the mist converged on the sapling, and the Ancient Onyx glowed. A brilliant light filled the room, and when it was gone, the Ancient Onyx crumbled to dust. Tails heard the sound of something breaking and gasped when he saw the plant pot on the ground, the dirt inside spread everywhere. “COSMO!” He turned to glare at Witchcart. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! COSMO IS-”

“Right there.”

Tails turned back, and his expression softened as he saw a small figure through the mist. As the mist parted, he could see green and white, and cream-coloured skin. “C-Cosmo…” Tears welled in his eyes. He rushed to the girl, grabbing her shoulders so that he could see her face. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing. “It’s her… Cosmo…”

“As promised, Cosmo is back,” Witchcart said, cackling.

Tails turned to her with a smile. “T-Thank you!” he said, wiping away the tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Wendy! Really! I know you’ve done a lot bad things but… But right now, I don’t care about that! Cosmo is back…” Tails wiped a tear out of his eye, holding Cosmo close to him. “How can I ever- Oh, right! You wanted me to build you a body, right?”

“No need,” Witchcart said.

Tails was about to ask what she meant, when he suddenly felt a hand on his throat. Gasping for air, he slowly turned to face Cosmo. Her eyes were open now, but instead of the brilliant blue that he remembered, they were red, and menacing. She grinned at him as she rose to her feet, lifting him into the air effortlessly.

Witchcart’s body turned to mist, and it rushed towards Tails, entering through his nose and mouth. “I only asked you for _a_ body! Therefore, I’ll just take _yours_!”

Tails tried to fight back, tried to scream, but the hand grasp around his throat made it impossible. All he could do was flail his arms, kick his feet, and look down with sadness at the girl he had come all this way to save. The girl who was now holding him in-place while his body was stolen from him. His vision faded, and Cosmo laughter was the last thing that he heard.

“Are you done?”

Tails’ eyes opened, his eyes now as red as Cosmo’s were. She released him, and as he fell to his feet, Tails examined his hands and grinned. “Yes. Thank you for keeping him still for me, brother.”


	3. Chapter 3

“YAAAAAAAAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAH!” Wendy Naugus cackled as she flew about the chamber using her new tails. “Oh Walter, I hit the jackpot with this one!”

Walter “Ixis” Naugus seemed far less excited as he examined his own new body. “Well I’m happy for you, sister, but really now, is this _all_ that you could find me? A frail little girl with no power to speak of?”

Witchcart landed next to her brother, laughing at his discontent. “You know full-well that you could only possess a body that teeters between life and death. How easy do you think it is to find somebody like that? Besides, she was connected to that gullible fox.”

“Oh, I see,” Ixis said, grinning. “You couldn’t defeat Cerberus alone, so you needed help.”

Witchcart huffed and turned away. “This is the thanks I get, huh? Anyway, no complaining! You’ll be back in your own body soon enough.”

“Ah yes, my body. That foolish King Maximillian should have destroyed it when he sealed me away. Instead, he felt confident that I would never return.” Looking down over his body again, Ixis frowned. “By the way, what even _am_ I? I do not recognise this type of creature.”

“Some kind of plant-alien, I think,” Witchcart said with a shrug. She received a deadpan stare. “Who cares?! C’mon, let’s go get your old body back, then we can get our revenge on the King and his family!”

The two walked through the cave, approaching the wall where Ixis’ body was stuck to the wall. Reaching the hands of his new body out, Ixis closed his eyes and concentrated. “Well?” Witchcart asked, but received no response. She waited a little longer, and then groaned. “Well?!”

Ixis gritted his teeth and his eyes snapped open. “That damned King… The Sword of Acorns is using Ixis magic to keep me sealed.”

“So undo it,” Witchcart said bluntly.

“To do so requires a particular spell, one that calls for the sacrifice of somebody whose is _attuned_ to Ixis magic.” He turned to his sister, who took a cautious step back.

“Hey, don’t forget that I freed you!”

“Calm yourself. I haven’t forgotten.” Ixis pulled back his hands and laughed. “Thankfully, there _is_ somebody I have in-mind.”

“Oh?”

Ixis began walking, Witchcart following behind him. “My former apprentice, who betrayed me for that foolish King! Geoffrey St. John!”

“Aaaaaaaaah, of course!” Witchcart replied. “I’d heard you had taken on an apprentice. Are you saying that he stabbed you in the back?”

“More like _shot_ me in the back,” Ixis replied with a growl. “But now, he’ll atone for his treachery with his life.” As the two exited the cave, they approached the parked Cyclone. “Can you fly this contraption?” Ixis asked.

“I think so,” Witchcart answered. “I watched the boy flying it, and it didn’t seem too complicated.” Climbing inside, she studied the controls for a bit and then hit what she believed to be the ignition button. The console came to life and verified her as Tails. She cackled with delight as her brother jumped into the passenger seat. “We’re in business, Walty! My Witchcarters will be waiting for us at Knothole Glade!”

“I am glad to hear it. For once, your little band of misfits will actually be useful for something.”

“KEEEEE-HEHEHEHEHEHEH! Come now, please don’t say things like that when we meet them! You’ll hurt their poor little feelings!”

The Cyclone took off, racing through the sky as it left the chain of islands and headed towards the Kingdom of Acorn.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Ixis and Witchcart stood at the crest of a hill, overlooking the large city in the distance. Beside them, Witchcart’s henchmen stood ready to cause a ruckus – Falke Wulf, Carrotia the Rabbit, and Bearenger the Grizzly.

“Well then, should we go and say ‘hello’?” Witchcart asked her brother. “It has been one year. They must have missed you.”

“Yessssss,” Ixis replied, mist seeping from his eyes as he bared his teeth at the city. “It will be a reunion they won’t soon forget. Soon, the whole world will know that Ixis Naugus has returned!”

“Then what’re we waiting for?!” Carrotia demanded, bouncing in-place frantically as she pulled at her ears. “C’mon! Let’s go cause some mayhem!”

“I haven’t fought in a long time!” Bearenger growled, slamming his fists together. “I’m gonna enjoy letting off some steam finally!”

Falke laughed, clapping his hands erratically as his eyes focussed on the city. “This’ll be fun, huh?! Lotsa strong people to fight, right? I call dibs on the Prince!”

Ixis shook his head. “I really don’t understand how you put up with such idiotic minions.”

“ _Fools_ have their merits, Walter,” Witchcart told him. “They’re easy to control, and they don’t fear what they’re too _stupid_ to understand.”

“In any case, our objective here is Geoffrey. The King can wait.” His eyes narrowed. “And if any of you happen to see a blue hedgehog, _save him for me_.”

“Blue hedgehog? You mean Sonic?” Falke asked, laughing louder. “Lemme guess! You got your butt whooped by him and want revenge, right?! That’s hilari-” Falke was cut short as a small, delicate hand touched his throat. Suddenly, he was staring into a pair of red, fiery eyes. He gulped, and stopped laughing.

“Now, now, Walter,” Witchcart said, amused by the display, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Even that Doctor Eggman has been defeated by Sonic plenty of times.”

“ _Ivo_ is a fool who believes himself strong. _I_ am the rightful heir to the Acorn throne, and a master of the Ixis arts.” He squeezed around Falke’s neck. “A mere hedgehog could _never_ defeat me, but he _has_ insulted me. Are we clear on that?”

“S-Sure thing, Boss!” Falke said. He felt the hand loosen and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Gooooood. In that case, let us not waste any more time.” Ixis turned back towards the city and began walking. “Wendy and I will go in first. The three of you follow and cause as much trouble as you can.”

“You got it!” the three shouted at once.

Witchcart used her tails to fly and grabbed her brother’s arms, carrying him across the large, open plains and towards the city. Behind them, the Witchcarters followed on their Extreme Gears. Approaching the gates, the two of them landed as the guards approached.

“Tails?” one of the guards asked, smiling as he seemed to let his guard down. “It’s good to see you again! Are you here to see the Princess?” He watched as ‘Tails’ walked by, seemingly ignoring him. “If it’s urgent, I can-” The guard gasped and fell onto his front as he was attacked by Ixis’ magic, alarming his partner. Before he could react, he too was knocked-out, and the two siblings walked into Mobotropolis unimpeded.

Several citizens saw the attack and began to run, calling for more guards to come and help them. Witchcart simply laughed as she watched them flee. “Look how easily they scare! I don’t see why you care about this city so much.”

“Under my rule, these people will become strong,” Ixis told her, grinning as a small squad of guards arrived to confront the two. Ixis rose into the air and fired a blast of wind magic at them, scattering them as they were swept into the air and flung about the city.

Witchcart cackled and raised her hands, bringing forth crystal stalagmites from the ground that stopped the charging guards from reaching them. Soldiers began to gather as the commotion reached the palace, and as Witchcart charged another spell, she saw something approaching her quickly.

Creating a barrier, Witchcart narrowly avoided a direct blow from Bunnie Rabbot’s metallic fist. The rabbit glared from behind the shield, before her expression softened as she recognised the intruder causing so much panic. “Mah stars… Tails? Is’at you?”

Witchcart didn’t respond. Instead, she only laughed as she took advantage of the opening to fling Bunnie back, bringing out more stalagmites to skewer her. Something sharp cut through the crystals before they could reach, though, and she watched as a fast-moving coyote grabbed Bunnie and jumped to safety, placing her down gently.

“Ahhhh, the Princess’ little club has gathered,” Ixis noted as he saw Rotor come out to join his friends. “We don’t have time to deal with them.”

“Don’t worry, Walter. My Witchcarters will be enough for these kids!” Witchcart replied.

“Do not underestimate them,” Ixis warned as he looked to the palace in the distance. “He is there. I can feel it.”

Witchcart looked at where he was pointing and nodded. She took flight and grabbed his arms, carrying over the stunned Freedom Fighters and soldiers down below.

“Tails, wait!” Rotor called, attempting to give chase. “What are you-” He was cut off by sudden intrusion as Bearenger came crashing down from the skies, causing a crater as he landed. The bear cracked his knuckles and his neck as he stepped towards Rotor, growling at him.

“Rotor!” Bunnie called, attempting to reach him. She was intercepted by Carrotia, who came zipping in on her Extreme Gear, giggling at the angry glare she received. “Get outta mah way!”

“Awwww, don’t be mad.” Carrotia hopped off of the board and gave a curt bow, before showing a sadistic grin. “I just wanna play!”

Antoine attempted to back her up, only to find Falke Wulf in his way, laughing maniacally at the coyote’s fearful expression. “What’s with you?! You look like a soldier but you’re so scared you’re shakin’! That’s hilarious!”

* * *

“What’s goin’ on out there?” Geoffrey asked as he saw the Royal Guard scrambling through the palace.

One stopped to salute. “Sir, there’s some sort of commotion in the city! An attack being led by Miles Prower and an unknown girl!”

“Miles?” Geoffrey asked. “You mean Tails?! Why would he be-”

“Why indeed?” The wall behind Geoffrey exploded, pushing him and the soldiers down as two figures emerged from the dust. The unknown girl stepped forwards, grinning down at him.

“I got this lot!” a voice shouted before firing out magic at the soldiers picking themselves up. Tendrils made of mist enveloped them, and then sent them flying up into the ceiling, knocking them out before dropping them to the floor. The voice’s owner cackled, and as the dust settled, Geoffrey saw that it was Tails.

“So it’s true!” Geoffrey growled, aiming the crossbow attached to his arm at the duo. “Never woulda pegged _you_ for an enemy! What’s goin’ on then, Tails?!”

“Come now,” the girl said, stepping closer with no regard for the weapon pointed at her. “Do you not recognise your old master, Geoffrey?”

Geoffrey narrowed his eyes, staring into the girl’s. “What are you…” As he continued staring, he noticed something within her eyes. A deep, sadistic malice, and a rage that was disguised by a mask of amusement. “My… master?” He gasped, turning to ‘Tails’ as it suddenly occurred to him what power he had just used. “It can’t be!”

“But it is,” Ixis assured him. Geoffrey loosed his bolt, but Ixis simply deflected it with a barrier. He reached out and grabbed the skunk’s arm, using his magic to pin him down as he ripped the crossbow off of him. “That toy of yours won’t work, not _this_ time.” Ixis crushed the weapon and tossed it aside.

“H-How are you alive? The King-”

“As you can see, I found myself a _new_ body, with my sister’s help.”

Witchcart offered Geoffrey a wave. “So this was your apprentice, Walty? He doesn’t _look_ like an Ixis wizard.”

Geoffrey slammed his hand onto the floor, spawning dark, shadowy spires around the two as he melded with the wall behind himself. Ixis chuckled as he reached his hand out, into the wall, and pulled the skunk out by his hair. “Boy, you are _years_ too soon to trick _me_ with my own spells!” Raising his other hand, Ixis cast a spell that shattered the dark spires and returned the wall to normal.

Witchcart summoned crystals that bound Geoffrey’s hands together. “That should stop you from casting any more magic!”

“Now, Geoffrey,” Ixis began, grabbing Geoffrey by his chin and leaning closer, their faces mere inches apart, “You are going to be _very_ useful to me, and help me regain my old body!”

* * *

Rotor blocked Bearenger’s punch with a grunt, feeling himself being pushed back before he was able to plant himself firmly. He ducked to the side and delivered his own punch, straight to Bearenger’s gut. His opponent made no attempt to block, instead grabbing Rotor’s arm as soon as the hit landed and delivering a kick.

“GAH!” Rotor stumbled backwards, clutching his chest as he breathed heavily.

“Is that all you’ve got?!” Bearenger growled, raising his fist for his next attack. “Pathetic! Stand your ground and fight back!”

Rotor blocked the punch again, this time being pushed further back. Rather than attempting a counterattack, Rotor attempted to circle his opponent and strike from behind, but before he could even make it around the grizzly’s side, he found himself being intercepted and felt another blow to his stomach.

“Fight me head-on! Attacks from behind are cowardly tactics!”

Rotor heaved as he backed away, one eye closed and the other glaring at Bearenger. “If only I… had my…”

“Rotor, catch!”

Rotor gasped. He and Bearenger looked to the side for the voice’s owner, but only found an object being thrown their way. Rotor rushed forwards and grabbed the Cube Wispon, using it to summon a block to defend himself from Bearenger’s attack.

Bearenger’s fist met the cube, creating a shockwave but not causing any damage. He winced and retracted his hand, staring confusedly. “What the-”

“Now I’ve got what I need!” Rotor slammed the Wispon into the block, sending it flying at Bearenger, who met it head-on and attempted to stop it. Although the attack didn’t knock his opponent over, it _did_ send him a good distance away, giving Rotor some breathing room.

Bearenger angrily tossed the block aside. “You call this fighting?! Relying on weapons instead of your own two hands?! Where’s your pride?!”

“ _You’re_ the one who attacked _us_!” Rotor said as he summoned another block. “This isn’t a matter of pride! We defend this city and its people from creeps like you, and they’re counting on us to do our jobs properly!”

“GRAAAAAGH! What a waste! And here I thought I’d find a good fight!” Bearenger extended claws from his paws that glinted in the sunlight. “Fine then! If that’s how it is, I’ll just rip you to shreds and-”

“Not today!” Sally cried as she appeared behind Bearenger, twin energy blades at the ready. Before he could turn around, she slashed at his back, causing him to freeze and then fall forward, blood seeping from his wounds. “Rotor, are you okay?” she asked as she ran over to her friend.

Rotor simply smiled. “I am now, thanks to you,” he said, hoisting the Wispon over his shoulder. “Thanks for the assist. We should help Bunnie and Antoine.”

“You do that. I’ll go after the other two,” Sally said.

“Sal… One of the intruders is…”

“Tails, I know,” Sally said, “And I also don’t believe it, but we won’t know the full story unless we confront him. So… that’s what I’ll do.”

Rotor nodded, and watched as Sally ran in the same direction as Tails and that girl. As she ran, soldiers and city guards made their way to the scene. Rotor left the detainment of Bearenger to them as he ran over to where Bunnie and Antoine were fighting their own battles.

* * *

Sally rushed through the city, making her way to where smoke was rising from a section of the palace. “Nicole, have you seen any movement from Tails?!”

Her handheld strapped to her hip chimed to life. “I’m still searching all the cameras around the city. The last sighting was near the Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital, heading due west.”

“West of the hospital…” Sally picked up the pace, energy blades at the ready. “They’re going for the airfield! They want to steal a plane!”

“I’ll look at the feeds around that area! … I see them! They’re fighting off the Royal Guard, and… they have Geoffrey with them!”

Sally jumped and reached for the branch of a nearby tree, pulling herself up and jumping from branch-to-branch until she could hop over to the roof of a nearby building. She then began to run across the rooves, making her way straight to the airfield.

“There it is!” Jumping down to the ground, Sally weaved around the downed soldiers and headed straight to the runway. She saw Tails up ahead, together with the girl, who was carrying Geoffrey in what appeared to be a field of smoke. “TAILS!”

The two turned to face Sally, and Geoffrey struggled against his hold. “Princess, don’t!” he called out. “It’s not Tails! It’s Ix-” The smoke covered his mouth, preventing him from speaking further.

“She might be a problem,” Ixis said as he watched Sally approach.

“I told you we should have just used the boy’s plane,” Witchcart said.

“That unruly contraption is only a two-seater. I’m not going to risk losing our sacrifice in the sea, unless _you_ were planning to sit on one of the wings?”

Witchcart cackled, stepping out in front of him. “Then why don’t you load up your disciple and get out of here? I’ll hold her off.”

“By yourself?”

“Are you worried about me, Walter? How sweet, but don’t fret. She wouldn’t harm her dear friend, now would she?”

Ixis grinned. “I see. Then we part ways for now, Sister.” Turning around, he rushed over to a nearby plane and threw Geoffrey inside, using his magic to bind him.

Sally gritted her teeth as she saw the girl getting away with their captive. “Nicole, turn off friendly-fire protocols for our air defences!”

“There’s no time for that!” Nicole told her. “I need the King’s authority, as well as the deactivation codes that only Chuck knows!”

Sally attempted to sidestep Tails to reach the plane, but was intercepted by a pillar of crystal. “What-”

“Settle down, girl!” Witchcart shouted, firing more crystals that honed-in on Sally.

Dodging and deflecting the projectiles with her blades, Sally glared at ‘Tails’ and asked, “Who are you?! Why do you look like my friend?! And this magic… it’s just like-”

“KEH-HEHEHEHEHEHEH! So you noticed?”

“It can’t be… Ixis Naugus?!”

“Close! I’m his sister, _Witchcart_ Naugus!” Taking to the air, Witchcart flew towards Sally as she fired a vortex of smoke towards her, forcing the princess to run away. “I borrowed this body from your little friend! It’s quite handy, being able to fly freely like this!”

“Then, that’s really Tails?!”

“What will you do now, Princess? Hurt your friend just to defeat me? I shudder to think just how much damage those curious swords of yours would cause!”

Sally ducked to the side, escaping the vortex and giving herself an opening to jump up and dropkick Tails’ body down to the ground. As Witchcart attempted to pick herself up, Sally landed and pinned her down with her foot. “Give Tails his body back, _now_!”

Witchcart laughed. “Or else what?” Her hand slipped through the ground, startling Sally as she felt a sudden jab to her gut. When she felt that foot slip off, Witchcart jumped to her feet and fired a blast of magic that knocked Sally onto her back. “Is that any way to treat your friend’s body?”

“T-Tails would understand,” Sally said as she picked herself up, clutching her stomach and glaring through one eye. “He wouldn’t want you doing such awful things with his body! He’d want us to stop you!”

“The only way to do _that_ is to kill me, deary!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure!” Sally jumped forwards, delivering a swift kick that forced Witchcart to take flight. She then leapt up her and held her blades across each other in an X-shape, swinging them to send out a gust of wind that sent Witchcart flying.

“You little-” Witchcart began to cast a spell, only to be interrupted when a shadowy figure emerged from her side and raced towards her. The figured was holding a sword, and as he jumped into the air, he attempted to drive it right down at her.

Witchcart raised a wall of crystal to protect herself from the attacker, and her assailant crashed right into it, stumbling as he fell to the ground. As the wall fell, she found that it was Sally’s brother, Prince Elias, who had tried to run her through. “That was close,” she spat as she landed, panting as fatigue began to affect her new body. “This boy, I thought he’d have more stamina than this…”

“Elias!” Sally called out as she rushed to her brother’s aid.

Witchcart used her magic to form crystals around Sally’s feet, keeping her trapped as she fell onto her face. “Sally!” Elias attempted to reach his sister, only to find that he too had been trapped.

“I guess I underestimated you,” Witchcart said as she approached the two. “To think you’d go so far as to kill your own friend. How delightfully deplorable! Still, you won’t win me over that easily!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Elias declared.

“Are those your final words? Oh, how I can’t wait to tell Ixis that I ended not just one, but _both_ of the royal siblings!” Witchcart raised her hand, and the crystals began to grow, enveloping the two slowly-but-surely. She cackled, so much that she failed to realise the trail of dust heading her way until its creator had crashed right into her with a spindash.

The crystal stopped growing, and as the dust settled, the pair of siblings smiled upon seeing their saviour standing tall before them. “You two okay?” asked Sonic the Hedgehog, never taking his eyes off of his opponent.

“We are now. Took you long enough,” Sally said.

Sonic simply shrugged. “Well, I had to pick something up along the way… I’m guessing that’s not Tails, is it?”

“How did you-” Sally began, but her brother cut her off.

“Sonic, catch!” He threw his sword.

Without turning around, Sonic grabbed the sword and gave it a glance. “Okay, let’s do this!” As ‘Tails’ began to pick himself up, Sonic rushed forwards and knocked him back down. “Sorry to be so rough, buddy, but this is for your own good!” Holding the sword up, Sonic brought it down.

The royal siblings watched as the sword stopped mere inches from Tails’ face, a brilliant light exploding from its tip. “That’s the Sword of Light, isn’t it?” Nicole asked.

Sally nodded. “It’s a sword made to counter all forms of dark magic, but against any other foe, it’s harmless. That’s why it won’t harm Tails, but what it _will_ do…”

“Is push Witchcart out,” Elias finished. “One of the guards with Geoffrey overheard the Naugus twins talking. That’s why I came running right away. I just had to save Tails, no matter what.”

Witchcart screamed as the light forced its way into Tails’ head, ripping her consciousness from his. “NOOOOOOO!” She kicked and flailed, stomping at the ground and clawing at Sonic’s legs, but he wouldn’t budge. “I WON’T GIVE UP THIS BODY! I… WON’T… GO BAAAAAAAAACK!”

“GET OUT OF MY FRIEND’S BODY!” Sonic pushed the sword down further, and the light exploded. Smoke erupted from Tails’ nose and mouth, gathering nearby and coming together to form the shape of a troll, down on one knee and clutching its chest as it heaved. The smoke began to dissipate, and the figure could now clearly be seen. Wendy ‘Witchcart’ Naugus turned and stared fearfully at the hedgehog as he knelt down and checked on Tails, his eyes never leaving hers. “You okay, Tails?”

Looking down at her body, Witchcart gasped as she noticed the degradation was now moving much faster. “… D-Damn yoooooooou!” She fired a barrage of crystals at Sonic, who gathered Tails and weaved between the shards to avoid them. “STAY STILL, RODENT!”

“Witchcart!”

Turning to the sound, Witchcart found that Sally had freed herself and was now leaping towards her. Before she could respond, she found a fist meeting her face and she was knocked to the ground. Elias was on her moments later, grabbing her hands and slapping a pair of handcuffs around them, preventing her casting any more spells.

“Tails, wake up! Hey!” Sonic shook his friend, beginning to sweat. He relaxed when he saw Tails slowly open his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“S-Sonic?” Tails asked, his voice groggy as he moved his head to look around. “What’s… Ah!” Tails bolted to life and jumped into the air, now looking around frantically. “What happened?! Where’s Wendy?!”

“Tails, calm down,” Sonic said, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s okay now. I got your message.”

“… S-Sonic, I… I messed up,” Tails said, hanging his head.

“Well… Yeah, kinda,” Sonic said with a shrug, “But hey, nobody’s perfect! I’m just glad you’re okay, and I know your heart was in the right place and all, so…”

“… Cosmo!” Tails shouted suddenly. “Sonic, where’s Cosmo?! Is she here?!”

Sonic tensed at that. “I haven’t seen her… Tails, did you actually-”

“Sonic,” Sally said as she approached him, “I think he’s referring to this girl, who was here with Witchcart.” Sally held up her handhold and showed a picture of the girl from one of the city’s security cameras. The sight caused Sonic’s eyes to widen.

“That’s her alright,” Sonic confirmed. “I can’t believe that she’s actually…” He noticed Tails sinking his head lower and quickly tried to change the subject. “So then, is _he_ behind this?”

Sally nodded. “I’m afraid so. Ixis Naugus is back.”


	4. Chapter 4

“We’ll be there soon, Sonic,” Tails said from the pilot’s seat of the Cyclone.

Sonic stood on the wing of the plane, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot on the metal. Beside him, Witchcart sat in the passenger seat, her hands still in cuffs. She glared at the back of Tails’ head, fumbling around with her handcuffs to no avail. “Are you sure you wanna do this, Tails? If things go wrong, we’ll have to…”

“I know,” Tails said, keeping his eyes on what was in front of him. “I… This is all my fault. I have to do what I can to help.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Sonic told him. “Tricking people is just what the Nauguses do.”

“Are you talking about whatever happened between you guys and Ixis Naugus?” Tails asked, gripping onto the controls for his plane. “What… What _did_ happen, anyway?”

Sonic scratched his ear as he thought. “Well, I guess I should tell ya, so you know what kinda guy we’re facing. It happened after Station Square. I got a letter from the King asking me to pay him a visit, and it _had_ been a while, so I thought, ‘Eh, why not?’.”

* * *

“Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider!” Ixis Naugus clenched his fist, towering over the seated king, who simply stared back at him with a stone-cold look on his face. “If we delay in taking action, the humans will surely take advantage of us! We must show them we are strong!”

“I understand what you’re saying, Naugus, I really do,” King Max said, his features never wavering as he spoke, “But I’m not convinced that the actions of these humans is an act of aggression. I do not want to risk starting a conflict that could be avoided by simple diplomacy.”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect-”

“We have enough history of bloodshed between our races as it is,” Prince Elias, Commander of the Royal Guard, stated. “We have avoided further conflict by isolating ourselves from the humans, but that is only a temporary solution. We have to become friends with the humans if we’re ever going to move forward.”

“Well, let’s take it one step at a time,” Max said to his son, rising from his throne. “First off, we have to confirm the humans’ intentions. Are they trying to intimidate us-”

“Of course!” Ixis argued.

“-Or was it an innocent mistake? They are only _just_ trespassing into our domain, after all. Either way, we should prepare our troops, just in case.”

Sally crossed him arms, scowling at her father and Naugus as she tapped her foot impatiently. “Dad, why don’t we-”

“W-Wait, you can’t go in yet! They’re-”

Everybody turned, and gave varying reactions as they watched Sonic the Hedgehog walk into the room, two nervous Royal Guards behind him, reaching out but not laying their hands on the impertinent young hedgehog. Max sighed while his son facepalmed. “It’s okay,” the King said, “I asked him to come. Let him in.”

“Sir!” the two guards said as they saluted, and then they returned to their posts outside of the room.

Ixis scowled as Sonic approached, and Sally chuckled under her breath. “Was it too much to sit and wait your turn?” she asked.

“You know me, I don’t like waiting,” Sonic replied. He turned to Ixis and stared. “… Problem, Naugus?”

“Yessssss,” Ixis replied in a venomous tone. “It’s blue, it’s arrogant, and it knows not its place!”

“Naugus, please,” Max said, walking past the wizard and approaching Sonic. “Sonic, my boy! You’ve grown since the last time I saw you.”

“Yo, Max!” Sonic said, earning a sharp jab from Sally’s elbow as Elias stifled his laughter. “I mean uh, _King_ Max.”

Max simply laughed. “It’s quite alright. You are my daughter’s good friend, and you have done this kingdom a great service in the past. Plus, I hear you’ve made quite the name for yourself all around the world, thwarting Ivo’s plans wherever you go.”

Sonic grinned, puffing out his chest as he rested his arms behind his head. “Well, no biggie. Just what I do, y’know? So what’s up? You didn’t call me here just to catch-up with me, right?”

Max nodded. “I wanted to ask your opinion regarding a certain matter. You’ve travelled the world a lot lately, and you’ve even visited human cities such as Central City and Metropolis. Your most recent exploits at Station Square have not escaped our notice, either.”

“Saving the whole world from a rampaging God of Destruction?” Sally asked in a teasing tone. “Whatever happened to the Sonic who was afraid of the kiddy pool?”

“H-Hey, it just… looked deeper as a kid, that’s all,” Sonic retorted, his face showing the slightest hint of red as he turned away. “What about you? I hear you’ve stopped getting kidnapped and started doing the rescuing, now.”

“That was _one time_ , Sonic!”

“As… _riveting_ as this conversation is,” Ixis began, “Perhaps you might let His Majesty get to his point, before the humans begin their invasion and we are too late to act!”

“‘Invasion’?” Sonic asked.

“We do not know if that is their intention, _yet_ ,” Max said, punctuating his final point with a glare directed at Ixis. “Sonic, you’ve spent a lot of time around humans. What sort of impression did they leave on you. How do they treat our kind. ‘Mobians’, I believe is the term they use.”

Sonic folded his arms and closed his eyes. “Well, just like us, there are good ones and bad ones. I mean, you already know all about Eggman. But for the most part, they’re just out there living their lives, not harming anyone. And their attitude to mobians has got a lot better. There are mobians living in human cities and humans living in mobians cities.”

“Preposterous!” Ixis protested.

“Their President really wants to break the barrier between our two worlds.”

“What about their military?” Elias asked. “GUN.”

Sonic sighed and shrugged. “Well, they _do_ help people in trouble, but they’re also totally hot-headed and easy to tick off. But I don’t think they’d attack for no reason. Why? Did something happen?”

“They have set-up a fortification past the forest of Knothole Glade, just inside of our country’s borders,” Elias explained. “In accordance with the treaty signed by Father’s great-grandfather, this is an act of aggression and can be seen as a declaration of war.”

“What, some old piece of paper signed way-back-when?”

“You should show more respect to your peoples’ history, Hedgehog,” Ixis warned.

“All I’m saying is, that thing should’ve been updated decades ago. You guys have completely cut yourselves off from the rest of the world, right? How were _they_ supposed to know they were steppin’ on your turf?”

Sally nodded. “He’s right. We’ve been isolated for so long, we really have no idea what’s happening out in the world, and I’m sure the same’s true for the humans, too. If there’s no communication between us, it’s only a matter of time before a misunderstanding occurs.”

“Give the humans an inch, and they’ll walk all over us,” Ixis replied. “We must show them we are not to be trifled with!”

“No, I’m in agreement with my daughter,” Max said. “She is right that as long as we are cutting ourselves off from everybody else, we are only inviting further disaster. And with the threat of an Eggman invasion ever looming over us, it is now the best time to be breaking down walls, not reinforcing them. Sally, I would ask that the Freedom Fighters escort me to the GUN outpost tomorrow.”

“Not the Royal Guard?” Sally asked.

“I do not want to give the wrong impression by bringing an army,” he explained, “And I know that you and your friends will be more than enough to keep me safe.”

“Then I’ll round them up right away!”

Nodding, Max turned to Sonic as his daughter hurried out of the room. “Sonic, it might make things easier if _you_ came along, too-”

“No thanks,” Sonic said, startling the King with his abrupt reply. “Politics aren’t really my thing. ‘Sides, this is Mobotropolis’ problem, not mine. It should be solved by you guys.”

“… Right you are,” Max agreed, though his voice betrayed his disappointment.

“I’ll be waitin’ here for the good news, so give it your all, ‘kay?”

“Naturally,” Max replied with a grin. He turned to Elias. “I still want the Royal Guard on standby, just in-case.”

“Yes, Father.”

Ixis grumbled as he moved past the King and Sonic, stopping to spare the hedgehog a scowl. “You are all making a huge mistake! I hope you’ll realise that before it’s too late…”

As Ixis left the room, Sonic gave Max a deadpan stare. “What’s _his_ deal?”

“Naugus is simply concerned for the safety of our people,” Max assured him.

“Well he sure shows it in an interesting way.”

“Don’t let it bother you. He’s never been the cheerful sort, but he _has_ kept this kingdom safe for many years with his magics. Anyway, I must prepare for tomorrow’s journey.”

“Alright. I’ll catch ya both later then.”

* * *

Later that night, Ixis Naugus snuck out of the castle, blending into the shadows as he left the city using a secret passage. He wandered across the land, making his way to the GUN outpost that had been established and creeping around the back. Finding a small window, Naugus melded with the shadows and slipped inside. After some searching, he found a room filled with robots and grinned.

* * *

Sonic stared up at the night sky, resting peacefully atop a tree branch as a gentle breeze washed over his body. It was a nice, quiet night for sleeping outside, even if Sally insisted that he stay at the palace.

“Hey, what’s that?” he heard one of the guards patrolling along the city’s wall call out. “Is that a GUN robot?”

Sonic leaned up, suddenly intrigued. Jumping down, he made his way quickly up the wall, startling the two guards. “Wha- Oh, it’s just you, Sonic!” Breathing a sigh of relief, one of the guards said, “You really shouldn’t be up here y’know?”

“Did you say something about a GUN robot being nearby?” he asked the other guard, who was looking through a pair of binoculars into the distance.

“I think so. It has their logo… Hey, there are more!”

“Can I see?” Sonic asked. The guard handed him the binoculars and he looked through them. “Those are Beetles. Not much of a threat but, according to Tails, easy to make lots of ‘em.”

“Maybe they’re not a threat for _you_ ,” one of the guards said with a laugh. “Personally, I wouldn’t want to fight one at all.”

“They’re coming this way!” Sonic said, throwing down the binoculars as he jumped down from the wall. “Sound the alarm! Those things are armed!”

Rushing along the field, Sonic saw that the robots spotted him and aimed their guns at him. They fired, and he dodged the bullets as he quickly made his way to the swarm of GUN Beetles. The alarms sounded in the city behind him as he began bouncing between robots, bringing them down one-by-one.

“What’s goin’ on? GUN wouldn’t just send an army of drones out if they were serious.” As the robots fired again, Sonic continued to bounce between them, taking more down whilst avoiding their assault. “Well for now, I can’t let ‘em get near the city!”

“Sonic!” Sonic spotted Sally, Antoine, Bunnie and Rotor rushing towards him, the Royal Guard directly behind. “What’s going on?” she asked as they arrived, but before Sonic could answer, the robots began firing again.

Rotor threw down a device that generated a large, green shield that surrounded them, deflecting the bullets. Bunnie used the rockets in her soles to fly overhead and attack the robots from above, whilst Antoine tried to sneak around to catch them off-guard, only to be spotted and subsequently chased around the area by the flying machines.

“It is as I warned,” Ixis stated as he approached, a victorious look on his face as he revelled in the sight before him. “The humans have taken the first step towards wiping us out. _This_ is what those creatures are truly like!”

“I don’t buy that. Something seems off,” Sonic replied, tapping his foot as he eyes Ixis suspiciously.

“I agree,” Sally said. “It’s strange that GUN would just attack so suddenly like this.”

“Not to mention, these aren’t even their best robots.”

“So you admit that the humans are dangerous,” Ixis said.

“Everyone, we got more comin’!” Bunnie yelled out, and the group turned to find not just more Beetle, but also mechs approaching them.

“Let’s talk later!” Sally said. “For now, we have to stop their advance!”

Sonic sighed, but ultimately agreed. “Naugus, you got something that can stop ‘em?”

Ixis simply laughed. “I am a master of the Ixis arts! You need not concern yourself with this battle, now that _I_ am here.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s see who can take out the most, then!” Sonic rushed out of the shield, moving past the drones being taken out by the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guard, and made his way to the robots approaching in the distance. As they fired, he attacked, taking down a few before walls of crystalline magic started to get in his way.

Ixis used his magic to down robots quickly, making it a point to always cut Sonic off as he tried to make his way to another mech.

“What is going on out here?!” Ixis turned, laughing as he saw King Max rushing towards them, a furious look upon his face. “Do those robots belong to GUN?! Why are they here?!”

“Your Majesty, it is as I warned,” Ixis stated. “The humans are attacking us. We _really_ should have launched our own attack, first.”

“I simply can’t believe it,” Max said, watching the battle with a fiery glare, his fists clenched and shaking from his rage. As he watched, he noticed a GUN Beetle about to attack a soldier from behind, and another one disarming Antoine with a stray bullet. “WATCH OUT!”

Shots rang through the air, and the Beetles that were about to attack fell to the ground with holes in their bodies. The sounds of gunfire continued, and everybody turned to find GUN soldiers rushing into the fray, firing on their own robots and causing them to fall.

Sonic watched as the soldiers ran past him and finished off the last of the robots. Then, lowered their weapons and raised their hands into the air, all but the one soldier at the front of the group, who approached the King.

“Your Majesty, I will dispatch these-” Ixis began.

“Hold,” Max said, stepping forwards. “I want to hear what they have to say for themselves.”

“But-”

“That’s an order, Naugus.”

Growling, Ixis simply stood back and waited. Max met the soldier halfway, his hand on his sword the entire time. “You are King Maximillian Acorn, is that correct?” the soldier asked.

“It is. And may I ask who I am speaking to?”

The soldier removed their helmet, revealing themselves to be a young woman with brown hair. With a salute, she introduced herself. “Captain Topaz of GUN’s Second Division. I am here to formally apologise for the incident that took place this night, and to assure you that we are ready to pay reparations for any damages incurred.”

“Well, thanks to the speedy response of one particular hedgehog,” Max began, glancing over to Sonic, who simply gave a thumbs up in response, “We have fortunately avoided any damage to the city, and zero causalities in the battle.” Topaz gave a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. “However, I would very much like to hear what your excuse is for this sudden attack. If I didn’t know any better, I would almost call it a declaration of war.”

“I assure you, sir, this was not an attack prepared by us.”

Ixis scoffed. “What a pitiful excuse this creature brings! Your Majesty, they are merely attempting to protect themselves after seeing that their robots were outmatched by our own might!”

“Actually, I have evidence, Your Majesty.” Topaz reached into her jacket and pulled out a photograph. She presented it to the King. “Earlier this night, I noticed an odd shadow and went to investigate, and that was when I caught somebody sneaking out of our fort.”

“… Walter, would you care to explain?” King Max asked, showing the photograph of Ixis Naugus leaving the GUN outpost. “What exactly were you doing out there, all on your own?”

Ixis took a step back, beginning to sweat. “C-Come now, Your Majesty, that is clearly a fabrication! The humans are attempting to turn us against each other!”

“Come to think of it,” Sally began, crossing her arms, “Back when Eggman attacked us that time, you were able to ward off his robots with some sort of spell, one that let you control and deactivate them. Why didn’t you use that here?”

“Oh, I get it,” Sonic said as he approached. “You used that spell to make the robots attack. That’s why you didn’t wanna show off that spell to anyone.”

“Bah! Do you even hear yourselves? What would I have to gain by attacking the city?!”

“A reason to declare war on the humans,” Sally answered, and to Ixis dismay, Max nodded in agreement with her.

Looking over the angry faces of everybody gathered, Ixis took a cautious step back, only to find the Royal Guard creeping towards him. “N-Now, now, let us not be too hasty,” he said, his hand behind his back as he cast a spell.

“Walter Naugus, you have been my trusted advisor all these years,” Max said, the disappointment in his voice clear to all. “Why would you betray me now?”

Ixis scowled. “… Your trusted advisor? Maybe at one time, but it quickly became clear to me, _Your Majesty_ , that you are a weak-hearted young fool who lets his feelings get in the way of proper judgement!”

“Then, you’ve been plotting against me all of this time?”

“I just needed to turn the _people_ against you, and what better way than by having _you_ lead them into an unwinnable war? I would then come in as their saviour, and then it would be clear to all who was truly suited to ruling this kingdom!” Ixis’ laugh echoed throughout the area. “That’s right! The throne is rightfully mine! It has been all this time! And it _will_ be mine, soon enough…”

“Walter, you-”

“Your Majesty, look out!” a GUN soldier shouted.

Everybody turned to find a lone GUN Beetle aiming at Max. The soldiers scrambled to pick up their weapons, whilst the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guard hurried to intercept the shot. Before anybody could do anything, though, Sonic delivered a kick that sent the robot flying.

Ixis took the chance to run, and Sonic chased after him. “You’re not getting away that easily!” he shouted, rolling into a ball and spindashing into the wizard’s back and knocking him to the ground. As he stood over Ixis, he said, “I knew you were a creep, but I didn’t think you’d actually _betray_ your own people!”

Ixis laughed. “‘Betray’? I think not. I am offering them a better choice. With me as their ruler, Mobotropolis will be strong. Strong enough to defeat any other nation, and even conquer the world itself!”

“You’re nuts!”

“And you’re soft!” Ixis retorted as his body began to meld into the ground, surprising Sonic. “You missed your chance to stop me! Mark my words, the throne _will_ be mine! And when it is, _you_ will become Mobotropolis’ most wanted!”

Sonic tried to reach out and grab Ixis, but the wizard was gone too quickly. Staring down at the ground, Sonic clenched his fist. “Just try it, Naugus! Next time, I won’t go easy on you!”

* * *

As the Cyclone landed, Sonic jumped off of the wing, pulling Witchcart out of the plane as Tails climbed out. “So what happened next?” he asked.

“Well, GUN explained why they were there, which was to search the area for signs of Eggman. After that, they agreed to pass on a message from Max to their Commander about meeting. Nothin’ much happened for a few days after that, but then suddenly, there was an attack here, at the Devil’s Gulag.”

“The prison break,” Tails surmised, and Sonic nodded.

“Geoffrey told Max that Naugus was behind it, and he immediately set off to deal with it himself.”

“Why? He knew that Naugus was after his head, so why would he-”

“Don’t forget, he and Naugus _used_ to be friends. Guess he thought it was his responsibility, since he was the one who gave Naugus so much power to begin with.” Sonic looked up, to the abandoned facility in the distance. “Sal and the others were looking into something, so Geoffrey and I went with him. When we got there, the Royal Guard dealt with the prison break, and _we_ went after Naugus himself.”

* * *

“King Maximillian Acorn, how wonderful of you to accept my invitation.” Ixis grinned as the King approached, noting Sonic standing behind him with folded arms. “Though I don’t think highly of the company that you keep.”

“Don’t worry, kicking _your_ butt is reserved for the King,” Sonic said. “I’m just here to see how long it takes for you to beg for forgiveness.”

King Max drew the Sword of Acorns and stared solemnly at Ixis Naugus. “Walter, my old friend, it brings me no joy to have to do this… Alas, if you do not surrender now, I will have no choice but to see your wickedness comes to an end!”

Ixis laughed at the threat. “Your Majesty, as you have already seen, there is _no_ prison that can withstand my power!” He pointed over to the facility for emphasis. “Even _if_ you were to defeat me today, there is nowhere in the world where you can contain me.”

“We shall see.” King Max gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and charged, unleashing a battle cry as he ran towards Ixis. Before he could reach, however, something struck him in the back. Something that caused an explosion and knocked him down, sending the Sword of Acorns sliding across the ground.

Ixis laughed as he saw the King fall. Sonic turned his bewildered eyes to Geoffrey, who was already loading the next shot in his crossbow. “Sorry mate, nothin’ personal,” he said as he turned and fired at Sonic.

Sonic dodged the shot and rushed Geoffrey, only to be intercepted by a wall of crystals. He turned to see Ixis casting magic and shifted his focus, running and weaving between crystal stalagmites emerging from the ground as he made his way over to the troll wizard.

“You might want to watch your back,” Ixis taunted.

Sonic felt a sudden pain in his back and looked over his shoulder to find that Geoffrey had loosed another bolt, and before he could recover, he was struck by a blast of magic that sent him flying through the air. He landed beside King Max, groaning as he climbed to his feet and rubbed his aching head. “What’s the matter? Can’t win unless you play dirty?”

“Do not assume I will fall for such provocations, Quickster,” Ixis said as he approached. “In battle, there _are_ no rules besides winning or losing!”

Sonic turned to Geoffrey, who was now aiming another shot his way. “What’s goin’ on, man? You’d betray old Max for Naugus? You’d betray _Sally_ for him?”

Geoffrey gritted his teeth, clutching his crossbow as his arm shook. “Of course I’d never betray the King… unless the King betrayed _me_ , first! He sent my father on a suicide mission, and when they called for backup, he ignored them!” Geoffrey fired the bolt, only for Sonic to dodge it, and quickly loaded the next shot. “My old man’s dead because of Max! A bloke who’d throw away his people like that has no right to be King!”

“You’re… mistaken…” King Max managed to say between pants, but his voice was too weak for it to reach Geoffrey’s ears.

“It’s heart-breaking, I know. Even _I_ was appalled at the lengths the King had gone to in the hopes of earning a minor victory over Eggman. But alas, I was unable to do _anything_ to stop it. The best that I could do was to take poor little Geoffrey in, and teach him the ways of the Ixis, so that one day he might avenge his father’s pointless death.”

“Sonic, I know you an’ I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but I’ve always respected you for what you are, for never givin’ up and always helpin’ folks. You always do the right thing, so I’m gonna give you a chance… Naugus wants to put the Kingdom of Acorn on the right path, and for that to happen, we need to do away with the current King.”

Sonic had listened silently the entire time, his eyes closed and his foot tapping impatiently. When Geoffrey finished, he reached up and scratched his ear. “So… that’s it?” he asked, opening his eyes to find a confused Geoffrey staring back at him. “What, some creepy guy tells you the King killed your pops, and you just believe him, just like that?”

Geoffrey now glared at Sonic, clenching his hand around his crossbow. “I saw it with my own eyes, Sonic! I saw Max sending out my dad’s team! He told them that it was just a few bots, nothin’ more, and my dad brought me along so I could watch him in action, but it wasn’t just a ‘few bots’, it was an entire army! They called for help, but the King never responded! It was Master Naugus is the one who saved me that day, and he showed me how the King had been destroyin’ the kingdom for years with his terrible decisions and lack of concern for the lives of others!”

“Maybe I’m mistaken, but wasn’t it Naugus who controlled GUN robots to have them attack the city?” Sonic turned to Ixis, who was watching the exchange with an amused look. “Besides, somethin’ about this story just isn’t adding up. What would Max gain by sending his own troops to die?”

“What does it matter what he gained?!” Geoffrey demanded. “The fact is that he did it!”

“You’re wrong!”

All three turned to the air, where they found an aircraft approaching, piloted by Rotor. Sally was standing on the wing, looking down at the situation below. She gasped as she saw he father laying facedown on the ground and jumped off, rushing to Max’s side.

“Sal, hold on! I’m settin’ her down!” Rotor called out.

Ixis huffed, and pointed his staff up at the craft. “I think not. I could do _without_ any extra nuisances!” He fired a beam of magic, forcing Rotor to pull away quickly. He fired more beams, and laughed as he watched the plane retreating to safety.

“Geoffrey, you’ve been had!” Sally shouted as she turned to glare at the skunk, tears welling in her eyes.

“This has nothin’ to do with you, Princess!” Geoffrey shouted, pointing his crossbow at Sally, only for Sonic to step in front of her. “Your father-”

“Did _nothing_ like what you’re suggesting!” Sally interrupted. “You’ve been brainwashed! Ixis has been lying to you this whole time, using his magic to influence your mind!”

“An’ just what do _you_ know?!”

“Everything!”

Ixis huffed, pointing his staff at Sally. “Sorry, but the time for talk is-” Before he could fire, Sonic had already turned and made a break for the wizard, forcing Ixis to avert his aim in order to conjure up a defensive wall.

After Sonic’s foot collided with the wall, he stood on the other side and simply grinned at Ixis through the crystals. “Let the lady speak. She came all this way to share something with us, and I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna be _interesting_.”

“Geoffrey, we searched Naugus’ room.”

“I know,” Geoffrey said. “I was there, remember? We found nothin’, naturally.”

“Yes, ‘naturally’, because everything he _didn’t_ want us to see was locked away in a secret room! Details of his plans once he has the throne, that prove he was planning to be a tyrant, as well as proof of several conspiracies against the kingdom, including one regarding your father’s unit!”

Geoffrey paused for a moment, before quickly shaking his head. “Nice try, but it was King Max who ordered them on that suicide mission!”

“That’s right,” Sally agreed, “But it was Naugus who leaked the details of your father’s expedition to Eggman, allowing him to setup that ambush.”

“You’re lying!”

“It’s all right here!” Sally shouted, throwing a folder over to Geoffrey that landed at his feet. “He even specifically had plans to groom you as his successor! You were nothing but a pawn to him!”

Geoffrey looked down at the folder, which had several sheets of paper hanging out. Slowly, he began to kneel down an examined its contents, his eyes widening as he combed over he details. “This… This can’t be…”

Ixis shattered his wall with a growl, and then unleashed a shockwave that pushed Sonic back. “Get up, Geoffrey! Fight and destroy the man who ruined your life!”

“… My dad was… killed by…” Geoffrey’s head slowly raised, his eyes meeting Ixis’.

Ixis scoffed. “Useless boy, resisting _my_ influence?” He fired a blast of magic at Geoffrey, which was deflected by Sally’s energy blades. “All the years training you, wasted! How unfortunate.”

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get any lower!” Sonic shouted, charging Ixis once more. Ixis conjured another wall, but this time, Sonic was prepared for it, and rather than attacking it, he used his speed to scale it, much to Ixis’ shock. “Sorry, but I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”

Sonic jumped over the wall and dropped down, delivering a kick that forced Ixis back. Before the wizard could recover, he delivered another blow, and another. His fourth attack was parried, but this left Ixis open to Sonic’s sweeping kick. Falling onto his back, Ixis found Sonic jumping into the air and coming down towards him.

Using his magic, Ixis melded into the ground and appeared a few feet away, gasping as he tried to catch his breath. “You fools, it is useless!” Slamming his staff into the ground, Ixis summoned fiery tornadoes and launched them at Sonic and Sally. “I control the Ixis! I am a master of the Elements! There is no power that can possibly rival my own!”

Sonic did his best to avoid the tornados, but a sudden tremor caused him to lose his footing and he found himself being swept-up by the wind and launched into the air. Sally could only retreat, until she was driven to the edge of the island, standing over the boiling waters down below.

As Sonic landed, he had to move immediately to avoid the crystal stalagmites shooting out of the ground. Ixis unleased a powerful gust of wind, laughing maniacally as he watched the hedgehog struggling to move. “Too bad, Quickster! That speed of yours is only good for so much!”

Ixis channelled more magic through his staff, his laughter rising. That is, until he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his back. His magic eased-up. He looked over his shoulder, foaming at the mouth as he saw Geoffrey there, emerging from a shadowy portal in the ground, aiming his crossbow. “You…”

Before he could retaliate, Sonic took advantage of the opening to reach Ixis and swipe his staff. “I’ll take that!”

Ixis fumed as he watched the hedgehog taking off with his staff, and the rest of his magic dissipated as he unleashed his rage. “YOU WILL RETURN THAT, IF YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU!”

“You know, it’s not really my thing,” Sonic said, twirling the staff around in his hand. “Might make a good backscratcher though.”

Ixis’ eyes glowed a deep, dark red and he clenched his hand into a fist. “YOU… YOU…”

Sonic grinned, and flashed a wink at the angry wizard. “How ‘bout a trade? Your staff for… _his_ sword.”

Ixis gasped, turning around just-in-time to find King Max standing before, the Sword of Acorns inches away from his chest. He tried to retreat, but found his feet suddenly shackled by smoke that was coming out of the ground. “I’m sorry, Walter, but this must be done!” Max said as the sword penetrated Ixis’ chest.

Ixis froze, his body trembling as he felt his magic being drained through the sword’s power. “This will… not be enough to… contain… me…”

“I’m sure it won’t be,” Max admitted. “Sonic!”

“I got it!” Sonic ran over to the ship they had come in, and retrieved a jewel that was loaded into the back. He rushed back over, giving it to the King. “So uh, what is it, anyway? It kinda looks like a Chaos Emerald, ‘cept bigger.”

“It is the Ancient Onyx,” Max said, and Ixis’ face turned fearful. “It contains the power to imprison one’s soul, separating it from their body! Even if your body is one day freed, so long as _you_ remain trapped in here, you shall never again be able to threaten our kingdom!”

“DO NOT THINK… THIS IS THE END…” Ixis’ eyes slowly closed as the Sword of Acorns shone brilliantly, his body falling limp. The Ancient Onyx also started to shine, and Ixis’ voice became softer. “Mark… my… words… … …”

* * *

“And that was pretty much that,” Sonic concluded. He and Tails were about halfway through the cave by this point, moving carefully to avoid any traps. “After that, Geoffrey was put on trial, but was let off easy since he _did_ help save the day. He’s been cool since then. Ixis’ body and the Ancient Onyx were moved here, and Max left a guard at the entrance to be extra safe.”

“You mean Cerberus was…” Tails sighed, holding his face in his hand. “I can’t believe I… How did I let myself get tricked so easily?!”

“What’s done is done,” Sonic said, giving Tails a reassuring pat on the back. “We still have a chance to set things right, _and_ to get Cosmo back.”

“Hah!” Witchcart laughed. “That girl is dead! Her body was merely reconstructed for my brother to use as a puppet!”

Tails flinched. “Y-You mean after all that, Cosmo isn’t…” He quickly shook his head. “No, you’re just trying to trick me! She’s alive, I know she is!”

“KEHEHEH! Believe what you want to, boy!”

“Y’know, you might be our bargaining chip,” Sonic began, cracking his knuckles, “But I don’t think a bumps and bruises will sour the deal.”

Witchcart grumbled, “I can see why my brother dislikes you so.”

“Sonic,” Tails said, stopping as the three entered a large chamber. “We’re here.” Across the room, they saw Ixis Naugus – still possessing Cosmo’s body – and Geoffrey St. John beside him. Behind the two was Ixis’ body, pinned to the wall.

“So you’ve arrived,” Ixis stated as he stepped forwards, a look of amusement on his face. “And you’ve brought my sister. I suppose we should start negotiating then, Quickster.”


	5. Chapter 5

Tails could hardly believe what he was seeing. It was Cosmo, standing, walking, talking, doing everything that a living person would. It was her voice, though tainted by a cruel, sadistic tone. Her eyes were a haunting red, instead of the soothing blue he remembered, and her brows furrowed in a state of rage. Her hands were still so small and delicate, but he felt they could be dangerous if he got to close.

Tails shook, glaring at the creature controlling his friend’s body. He wanted to rush out and demand he let her go. Sonic saw this and whispered, “Remember the plan.” Tails stopped shaking, but still kept his hate-filled gaze trapped on Ixis Naugus. “I know how you feel, but we’ve gotta get Geoffrey back, first.”

“… I know,” Tails said. “I’ll be fine. You should do the talking, though.”

With a nod, Sonic stepped forwards. “Okay, let’s make this simple: you’ve got our friend and we’ve got your sister, so we’ll trade one for the other! No conditions, no magic, no tricks! That cool with you?”

“Oh, how I _haven’t_ missed your voice, you meddlesome rodent!” Ixis spat. “Still as presumptuous and arrogant as ever!”

“Yeah, well, can’t say I missed _you_ much, either. But right now, we’re only here to get our friend back, so I’ll spare you the butt-whooping if you just play along.” Stretching his legs for emphasis, he added, “Don’t forget, I can easily outrun you, especially in _that_ body! So no funny business, understand? Or else I’ll take your sister back to Mobotropolis and she’ll spend the rest of her days behind bars!”

“W-Walter!” Witchcart called out.

“My foolish, useless sister, who obtained a new body and then promptly lost it the very same day.” Ixis laughed, his mocking voice echoing through the cave. “You believe that she’s worth more to me than returning to my own body?”

“Is that so?” Sonic asked, shrugging and then turning around. “Alright then, if that’s how you want it.”

Witchcart glared at her brother. “Walter!”

“Hmph! It was merely in jest, Sister. Calm yourself.” He turned to Geoffrey. “Stand.” Geoffrey obeyed, rising to his feet.

“So we got a deal?” Sonic asked.

“… Yes,” was Ixis’ reply. He nudged Geoffrey, and the skunk began to walk over to Sonic. “For now, I will comply. But mark my words, Hedgehog: I _will_ have my apprentice back.”

“Whatever you say.” Sonic motioned to Witchcart to move. She complied, and passed Geoffrey halfway between the two parties. As Geoffrey reached Sonic and Tails, Sonic said, “Well, guess you owe me one after this, huh?”

“Don’t read too much into this, mate,” Geoffrey replied with an annoyed glare, and then held up his hands, still bound in crystal. “Hurry, get these off of me, so I can-”

“The trade is complete!” Ixis declared, and then he thrust out his hand. Shadows erupted from the ground beneath Geoffrey, enveloping him suddenly. “And now, I will be taking back my apprentice, as I swore I would!”

Sonic gritted his teeth, reaching out for Geoffrey only to grab air. The skunk appeared on the other side of the cave, at Ixis’ side. “You rotten-” Sonic rushed at Ixis and jumped, performing a homing attack. Ixis deflected it with a wall of smoke. “Whatever happened to no tricks?!”

“Like you’re one to talk. Only here for my apprentice, were you? And yet you have the gall to distract me so your friends can sneak up from behind!” Turning around, Ixis erected a wall of crystals to block Sally and Elias’ attack. He then fired a beam of magic through the wall, exploding it and causing the two siblings to be sent flying backwards, the Sword of Light falling from Elias’ hand.

“Sal! Elias!” Sonic called out, unable to see them through the smoke.

“We’re okay!” Sally replied.

“You won’t be, for long,” Ixis threatened, but before he could act, Sonic was already charging him again. Shifting suddenly, Ixis erected another wall of smoke, only to find Sonic bouncing off of the ground to leap over it. “What?!”

Sonic landed next to Ixis and pulled back his fist, but as he saw Cosmo’s startled face staring back at him, he hesitated. Ixis took the chance to push him back with a blast of magic. “OOF!”

“Sonic!” Tails called out, flying over to his friend and lifting him as Ixis fired crystal shards at the hedgehog. He moved swiftly to avoid the attack and throw down a line of smoke bombs to obscure Ixis’ vision.

“GAH! Useless tricks!” Ixis cast a spell to disperse the smoke and found where Sonic and Tails had landed. Sonic had the Sword of Light in his hand and was glaring at Ixis.

“Brother, be careful!” Witchcart called out. “That sword-”

“I know,” Ixis replied, taking a step back. “I know all about what it can do. I won’t let it touch me!”

“Think again!” Sally shouted as she grabbed Ixis from behind, keeping him from moving his arms. “Sonic, now!”

Sonic started running, but before he could make much progress, Witchcart had fired a spell at Sally’s back. Elias rushed out deflected it with his shield, grunting as it hit with just enough force to push him into his sister.

Ixis felt Sally’s grip loosen for just long enough to wriggle free, and fired a beam of concentrated magical energy directly at the charging hedgehog. “DIE, RODENT!”

Sonic, seeing the attack coming, pulled out his secret weapon: a Chaos Emerald, glowing a brilliant green, that he had borrowed from Shadow before setting out. “Chaos Control!”

Ixis watched in shock as Sonic seemingly vanished, narrowly avoiding the deadly attack. “How-”

“WALTER, LOOK OUT!”

Hearing his sister’s warning, Ixis turned and found Sonic coming at him from above. A foot met his face and he was knocked down onto his back, pinned as Sonic brought the Sword of Light down.

“WALTER!”

Ixis’ eyes glowed and his body emitted a crimson aura. “I will _not_ be defeated so easily!”

As the tip of the sword was about to piece Cosmo’s body, Ixis unleashed a shockwave to shook the entire cavern, and blew Sonic, Sally and Elias several meters away. Tails, Geoffrey and Witchcart found themselves covering their ears at the eruption of energy.

Ixis panted as he slowly climbed to his feet, glaring at the hedgehog laying on his back, the Sword of Light inches from his hand. “Too close,” he muttered, wincing as he clutched his left arm. “That attack took its toll. Such a weak body… I must return to my own right away.”

As Tails removed his hands, he looked over to where Ixis was standing. The sight of Cosmo, panting as she clutched her arm, her clothes torn and her body covered in scratches and shallow cuts, surrounded by the bodies of his friends who had been hurt by Ixis’ attack, enraged to young fox.

“You…” Reaching into his bag, Tails pulled out his hand cannon and set it to stun, aiming and firing at Ixis. “STOP HURTING THEM, YOU JERK! COSMO, AND MY FRIENDS!”

Ixis huffed, deflecting the attacks with ease as he watched the fox take flight and rush towards him. “All this fuss over a dead girl. Her only purpose was in offering me a temporary body, with which to make my return.”

“SHUT UP!” Tails changed the mode of his cannon, and fired, tears streaming down his eyes. ‘ _Sorry, Cosmo. Please bear with it…_ ’

Ixis deflected this new shot, too, but as he did, it split into five smaller projectiles and encircled him. He watched in confusion and, before he could react, the five zapped him with beams of electricity. “GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Tails used the opening to throw several canisters at Ixis’ feet, and by the time the shocking had stopped, Ixis was unable to stop the flashbangs from going off, blinding him and everybody else in the room.

“HOW DARE YOU?!” Ixis shouted as he covered his eyes. He hissed as he stood and waited, wondering what attack was coming next. The clanging of metal in the direction that Sonic was flung him told him all he needed to know – Tails was going for the Sword of Light! With a grin, Ixis fired a beam of magic in that direction.

“NGH!”

Laughing, Ixis slowly lowered his arm and found his vision beginning to return. “Too bad, boy, but I will admit that it was a good atte-” Ixis stood shocked, for as his vision finally cleared, he found that it was not Tails kneeling there, clutching his bleeding arm with a defiant look in his eyes, but his former apprentice, Geoffrey St. John.

“TAILS!” Geoffrey called out.

Ixis readied another spell, but was stopped as he felt the Sword of Light piercing his body. His eyes widened and his magic faded. “N-No!”

Tails gritted his teeth and glared down at the wizard controlling his friend’s body. “It’s over, Ixis! Get out of my friend’s body, RIGHT NOW!”

Ixis gasped, and clenched his fists as he fought back, trying desperately to hang on. “I-I can’t! Not like this! I can’t be defeated by these- these- GAH!”

“I SAID GET OUT!” Tails shouted, driving the sword deeper as his vision became clouded by his tears. “GIVE HER BACK! GIVE COSMO BACK TO ME!”

Ixis fought back fiercely, but the light was too powerful. He could feel himself slipping, and fear set in. ‘ _If I’m ejected from this body, I’ll have nowhere to go!_ ’ Looking over to his body, still pinned to the wall, Ixis noticed Witchcart sitting there, watching with panic in her eyes.

“Walter!”

Grinning, Ixis began to laugh.

“W-Walter?” Suddenly, smoked emerged from Cosmo, taking the form of a ghostly Walter Naugus, and it rushed towards Witchcart, pinning her violently to the wall. “W-What are you-”

“I need an Ixis sacrifice, Wendy…”

Witchcart gasped. “Y-You can’t! You would betray me? Your own sister?!”

“Is that so surprising?! I was the one who gave you this cursed body, after all! Speaking of which…” He held her arm up, revealing the skin that was beginning to crack and fall off. “You’ve not got long left anyway! At least this way, your death will not be in vain!”

Witchcart shot him an angry look. “You… bastard! I won’t… I won’t forget this! I’ll make you suffer for this, mark my words!”

“Farewell, Sister!”

Witchcart’s scream echoed through the cave as the light from Tails’ sword exploded. As the screams died, everybody waited for their visions to return. Sonic heard footsteps and found Tails landing on the ground, Cosmo in his arms. Her eyes were closed, and her body was limp.

“C-Cosmo?” Tails asked, his voice cracking as he looked down at her face. His hands trembled and his heart pounded. He felt a knot in his stomach and he had to hold back his tears as he shook her, only to get no response. “Cosmo, please…”

“What happened to Naugus?” Geoffrey asked, stumbling over to Sally and Elias as he looked around.

It was then that the sound of metal clanging alerted everybody to the wall where Ixis Naugus’ body was once pinned. The Sword of Acorns lay on the ground in two pieces, the once-shining blade now dull. A foot stomped on the shattered sword, its owner laughing maniacally at the dread showing on everybody’s faces.

Walter ‘Ixis’ Naugus stood tall, smoke swirling around his right hand to manifest a sceptre topped with a small, ruby-red jewel. “What unhappy faces you all have!” he taunted, showing his foes a toothy grin. “You should rejoice. Your king has returned!”

Elias picked up the Sword of Light and pointed it at Ixis, Sally readying her energy blades by his side. “You were sealed away once, we’ll just do it again!”

“With that sword? I think not. And with the Ancient Onyx now destroyed, it will be even more impossible.”

“Then we’ll just have to find some other way to stop you!” Sally charged, swinging her blades, only to be pushed back by a forcefield as Ixis slammed his staff into the ground.

“Your magic won’t be enough to stop _my_ blade!” Elias shouted, rushing Ixis and dodging a barrage of magical attacks. He swung at the forcefield, ripping it open and allowing Sonic to run through, delivering a swift kick to Ixis’ abdomen.

Growling, Ixis made a grab for Sonic with his clawed hand, but the hedgehog jumped back too quickly and left an opening for Elias to strike. “ENOUGH!” Ixis shouted. He swung his staff and fired a wave of energy that pushed the three back. “You are all still exhausted, while _I_ have never felt more alive!” Pointing his staff towards Tails, Ixis grinned as he fired crystal shards at the boy.

“Tails, watch out!” Sonic called as he climbed to his feet.

Geoffrey attempted to cast a spell, but his wound made it too difficult to concentrate. “Tails!”

Looking up, Tails gasped as he saw the attack making its way. He had no time to react, much-less think, so he did the only thing that made sense to him at that time: protect Cosmo, even if it meant putting himself in harm’s way. He held onto her tightly and rolled his body over hers, acting as a shield.

The crystals made contact with something and then exploded, confusing Ixis. Everybody watched as the smoke cleared, and surrounding both Tails and Cosmo was a white, shimmering barrier. It took Tails a couple of seconds to realise he had not been hit, and as he lifted his head, he stared at the glowing light in awe. “What… happened?”

“Tails.”

Tails gasped. His head lowered, looking down at the girl he was protecting. She stared back up at him with her deep-blue eyes. She seemed tired, as though she had just awoken from a long nap, and let out a long yawn. “Cosmo…”

He moved back, allowing her to sit up and rubbed her eye. “Tails? I don’t… understand. Where-” Before she could finish, Tails reached out and hugged her. Her eyes shot open as she felt the warm embrace. “Tails?”

“You’re alive,” Tails said, tears streaming down his eyes. He smiled, tightening his embrace. “Cosmo, you’re alive!”

Cosmo felt Tails shaking and returned the hug, smiling as she felt him calm down.

Watching the sentimental scene play out before him, Ixis grimaced. “So the puppet regained her life, after all. What a waste, to be brought back only to die moments later!”

Tails pulled out of the hug and rose to his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes as he glared at Ixis. “I won’t let you do that!”

“None of us will,” Sonic said, taking out his Chaos Emerald as he stared Ixis down. Sally and Elias readied their blades, and Geoffrey loaded a bolt into his crossbow.

Ixis simply laughed at their attempts. “Fools! What can you do against a master of the Ixis ar-” Suddenly, Ixis’ breath caught in his throat, and he clutched his chest. “W-What is-”

‘ _Walter, how_ dare _you sacrifice me like that?!_ ’

Ixis froze. “S-Sister? But… how-”

‘ _I took a page from_ your _book, Brother! At the last second, I sought refuge in_ your _body!_ ’

Ixis gritted his teeth. “You fool! You think you can steal my body with _your_ meagre powers?!”

‘ _It was thanks to_ me _that you even_ have _this body! I’m going to take it, Brother, no matter how long it takes!_ ’

Everybody exchanged confused looks as they saw Ixis fighting with himself, panting and swiping at the air. “I don’t know what’s going on, but…” Sonic began, crouching down. “I know an opening when I see one!” Sonic took off, rolling into a ball as he slammed Ixis against the wall behind him.

“GAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Ixis forced Sonic back with another swipe, and as he took notice of the others steadily approaching him, he raised his staff. “I-It seems you all c-can live, for _now_!” Ixis slammed the staff down into the ground, creating a smokescreen that obscured his body.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Sonic spindashed into the smoke, only to find himself colliding with the wall. “What the… He’s gone!”

As the smoke faded, everybody saw that Ixis Naugus was no longer there. Geoffrey grunted as he removed the bolt from his crossbow. “He melded into the ground. By now, he’s probably on ‘is way to the craft he stole…”

Elias sighed as he sheathed his sword. “Then he is truly free. This is the worst possible predicament.”

Sonic hummed in thought as he looked past Elias, smiling as he folded his arms. “No, I wouldn’t quite go _that_ far.” Elias and Sally looked to where Sonic was looking, and found Tails and Cosmo embracing once more. “All things considered, I’d say it was worth it, for what we got in return.”

“I see,” Elias said, sharing Sonic’s smile. “You may just be right about that.”


	6. Chapter 6

After Ixis made his escape from the Devil’s Gulag, the group made their way back to Mobotropolis to recover, and to report the bad news to the King and the other Freedom Fighters. Sonic decided to fly with Sally and Elias in the plane they used, allowing Tails and Cosmo to have some privacy as they flew back in the Cyclone.

“I’m so sorry, Tails,” Cosmo said. Tails had finished explaining to her how she had been brought back to life, and now she felt guilty for all the trouble that everybody had been put through. “All of that because of me. I’m-”

“It’s not like that, Cosmo,” Tails said. “ _I’m_ the one who made the choice to trust Witchcart. _I’m_ the one who took a chance to bring you back, because I felt it was worth any risk… and it was.” He looked over his shoulder, smiling at Cosmo. “It really was. I’m so happy to see you again.”

Tears welled in Cosmo’s eyes. “You were put through so much… Terrible things happened, all on my account, but despite that, I…” She smiled back, wiping away her tears. “I’m glad, because I get to see you again. Thank you, Tails.”

“Cosmo, you sacrificed yourself for _all_ of us. If anything, you _earned_ a second chance at life.” Tails turned his attention back to the skies in front of him. “So, you really don’t remember anything that happened while you were controlled?”

Cosmo shook her head. “I remember changing, and I remember saying my goodbyes, but then after that, the next thing I remember is waking up with you protecting me.”

“It was _you_ who protected _me_ , with that barrier.”

Cosmo blushed and fiddled with her fingers anxiously. “I don’t know how I did that. I just felt that you were in trouble, and that I had to do something to help.” A silence fell between the two of them for several moments. “So… how are the others?” Cosmo asked. “Amy and Cream, and everyone else?”

“Well, how about we go see them?” Tails suggested. “After we make sure that Mobotropolis is okay, and I apologise for causing so much trouble for everyone, we’ll go visit all our friends together!”

“I’d like that.”

Mobotropolis appeared over the horizon, and Tails stepped on it. He was eager to go and show everybody that their friend was back.

* * *

“It looks like that’s everything!” Cream sang as she crossed the final item off of her shopping list. She looked over to Gemerl and Amy, sitting with her at the outdoor restaurant. “Thank you for helping me today, Amy.”

“Don’t mention it,” Amy said as she took a sip of her drink. “It’s good exercise, _and_ I get to help my friend!”

Amy was out jogging when she happened to bump into Cream and Gemerl, who had come to the city to buy groceries for Vanilla. She offered to help them, though what started as a simple grocery run quickly turned into a fun-filled day exploring Central City’s largest mall, from its music shops to its sweet shops and toy stores. They didn’t buy much, but they had fun just looking around. When they were finished, they decided to stop for a quick lunch at a nearby Meh Burger.

“You think you’ll need help carrying all this back?” Amy asked, looking at all of the shopping bags at the foot of their table.

“Thanks for the offer, but Gemerl and I can handle it,” Cream replied, and Gemerl flexed both of his arms to emphasis his capabilities. “Besides, weren’t you and Mr. Sonic going to meet up today?”

Amy gripped her cup, startling Cream as the pop inside suddenly soaked the table. “Ohhhh, that Sonic! He called this morning and said he had to cancel! Can you believe it?”

“Oh my. I wonder if he had something important to do?”

Amy sat back, folding her arms. “Well he better have something better this time than that whole ‘I was pulled into a magic book and became King Arthur’ story. Otherwise, his _next_ date will be with my hammer.”

Cream gave a nervous laugh as she reached for her drink. ‘ _Good luck, Mr. Sonic._ ’

“Amy! Cream!” The girls looked up to see Tails running towards them, waving as he looked excited about something.

“Tails! What’s up?” Amy asked. “You look pretty happy.”

Tails’ smile only grew as he stepped aside, revealing Cosmo behind him. She gave a nervous wave. “Uh, hey guys… I’m back.”

Amy’s mouth fell open and Cream dropped her drink. Gemerl simply looked between the girls and the new arrival, tilting his head in confusion. He was about to speak when Cream suddenly sprang out, embracing Cosmo in a hug as she began to cry.

“Whoa!” Cosmo waved her arms as she began to fall back. She regained her balance and then looked down at Cream.

“Y-You’re back!” Cream smiled, despite the tears running down her face. “I… I thought you were…”

“Sorry,” Cosmo said, holding Cream and patting her gently on the head. Amy ran up to the two and joined in the hug, a little harder than Cream’s. “GAH!”

“I can’t believe it… When… How…” Amy shook her head. “Oh, it doesn’t matter! I’m just so glad I could see you again!”

“Uh, girls?” Tails said worriedly. “You might wanna ease up, or she might not with us much longer.”

“Oh!” Amy blushed as she backed away, laughing as she watched Cosmo catch her breath. “S-Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Cosmo assured her. “I’m happy that you care so much. I’m really lucky to have friends like the two of you.”

Tails and Cosmo joined them at their table. Tails shared with the entire story, catching the girls up on the day’s events. “Wow, what a crazy story,” Amy said as he finished. She sighed and shook her head. “I guess I can cut Sonic _some_ slack then, since he was actually doing something heroic this time.”

“Amy, are you still after Sonic’s heart?” Cosmo asked.

“Of course! And I’m one step closer, because Sonic’s _finally_ agreed to go on a date with me!” Amy declared with a proud smile. “Now, if only he’d actually _show up_ to one of them.”

“Well, good luck, Amy,” Cosmo said, clapping her hands together. “You’re such a kind and caring person. I’m sure Sonic will see that one day!”

“She can be pretty mean with her hammer, though,” Tails mumbled.

“What was that, _Tails_?” Amy asked, causing Tails to jump in his seat.

“N-Nothing! I didn’t say anything, hahaha…”

“Oh!” Everybody turned to Cream, who suddenly looked very excited about something. “Amy, I just had a _wonderful_ idea! We should throw a party for Cosmo, to celebrate her coming back!”

“That sounds great!” Tails agreed. “We were gonna go see everyone else and share the good news, so I guess we can invite ‘em all along the way.”

“You don’t have to do all that for me,” Cosmo said, smiling despite her embarrassment. “Although, it _was_ fun being able to celebrate with everyone that time, on the Blue Typhoon.”

“Then it’s settled!” Amy declared, taking out her phone. “I’ll let Sonic know what’s going on. You guys go invite the others.” She gave Tails a knowing grin. “Cream and I will take care of snacks and decorations, so you two can have some time together.”

Tails and Cosmo blushed and quickly averted their eyes. “T-Thanks, I guess,” Tails said, scratching the back of his head.

Cream simply giggled as she watched. After confirming with her mother that they would be okay to hold the party at her house, they all agreed to meet up later that night. Tails and Cosmo then left, heading to the next place on the list.

* * *

On Angel Island, Knuckles was enjoying a peaceful afternoon of just kicking back and relaxing, not a care in the world… until the Chaotix Detective Agency showed up with a job for the echidna.

“C’mon, it’ll be a cakewalk!” Vector said, trying to convince Knuckles. “You _are_ the world’s greatest treasure hunter, aren’t you?”

“You know I have to watch over the Master Emerald!” Knuckles replied.

“We can take over for ya, no problem!”

“Yeah!” Charmy agreed. “How hard can it be? It’s just a rock!”

Knuckles’ eye twitched as he shot a glare Charmy’s way. As Charmy hid behind Vector, he turned back to the leader of the Chaotix and asked, “Why is this so important to you, anyway?”

“Uh, well, we have our reasons,” Vector said, laughing nervously as he averted his eyes. “Details, details! Look, all we’re askin’ is for you to find a few treasures out in Sandopolis. Somethin’ that’ll fetch a good pri- I mean, that’d look good in a museum!”

Knuckles narrowed his eyes. “Oh, now I get it. You just want me to dig up something that’ll cover your rent!”

“Whaaaaaaat?! Don’t be silly!” A few moments of silence passed, and Vector sighed. “Okay, fine! We _might_ have got our hopes up and spent way too much before actually being paid by our client, who _might_ have stiffed us on the bill.”

Knuckles scratched his head. “Doesn’t this happen to you a lot?”

“This is the twenty-seventh time,” Espio confirmed.

“Well, it sounds like a ‘you’ problem! Besides, Sandopolis doesn’t have anything valuable to dig up, anyway. Trust me.”

Vector groaned as he held his head. “Ahhhhhhh. Guess we’re going back to the drawing board, then…”

Espio suddenly turned around. “We have visitors.”

Everybody else turned to look where he was, Knuckles raising his fists in anticipation of a fight. When they all saw that it was Tails, they relaxed. Then, when they saw Cosmo with him, they gasped, running the meet the two.

“No way!” Vector reached out to grab Cosmo’s hands, confirming that she was real. “It’s really you! You’re alive!”

“Whooooooa! Awesome!” Charmy sang as he flew close to Cosmo, cheering as he buzzed around her head. “You’re alive! You’re alive!”

Espio simply gave a bow as he stared at the girl, keeping a more respectful distance. “I do not know how you cheated death, but it is good to see you again.”

“Yeah, just how _is_ this possible?” Vector asked, taking a step back and grabbing Charmy to pull him away.

“I bet it’s got something to do with the Chaos Emeralds,” Knuckles said with a grin, but when he saw Tails shook his head, he grew just as confused as the Chaotix. Tails explained the story to them, keeping it brief. “So basically, you got duped by the enemy.”

Tails gave Knuckles a deadpan stare. “Oh yeah, look who’s talkin’.”

Knuckles shrugged. “I’m just sayin’, you’re part of the club now! Congrats!”

“That’s not really something I’m happy to be part of.”

Vector laughed. “Ahhh, don’t sweat it, kid! It takes a master detective to see through an enemy’s deception tactics like that! Not just anyone can be as sharp as us three!”

“How many clients have you let run off without paying you, again?” Knuckles asked.

Espio was about to answer, but Vector slammed a hand over his mouth. “A-Anyway, the important thing is, it all worked out in the end!”

Tails nodded. “Yeah, even if it was a little touch-and-go there for a bit, and even if Ixis managed to get away… just being able to see Cosmo again makes it all worth it.”

Cosmo blushed. “Thank you…”

“By the way, you’re taking this pretty well,” Knuckles said to Tails, who simply looked back questioningly.

“Uhhh, what do you mean?”

“Well like, you’re afraid of ghosts, aren’t you? And Cosmo came back from the dead, so doesn’t that make her a-”

“No. No it does not,” Tails retorted, a stern look on his face. “A ghost is… like… not really alive, but not really dead, either. And it’s see-through and can go through walls and…” A shiver went down Tails’ spine. “Great! Now I’m _picturing_ them!”

“Okay, okay! Sorry, my bad.”

“Yeah!” Charmy chimed in. “Cosmo’s more like a zombie, except she doesn’t eat brains! … _Do you_ eat brains?”

“I… don’t think so,” Cosmo answered.

“Then we’re cool!”

Tails sighed. “Anyway, we’re gonna be having a party tonight to celebrate Cosmo returning, and you’re all welcome to come along.”

Knuckles scratched his head. “Well… I guess I can leave the Master Emerald alone for a _little_ bit. But I can’t stay long.”

“We’ll be there,” Espio said. “The Chaotix never turn down a friend.”

“Or free food,” Charmy added, licking his lips and rubbing his hands together.

“Hold on, you two,” Vector said. “Don’t forget we’ve got a _tonne_ of work waiting for us back the office-”

“The party will be at Vanilla’s house,” Tails told him.

“-Which can _wait_ , because celebrating our friend’s recovery is important!”

Cosmo laughed, while Espio and Charmy simply sighed and shook their heads in unison.

“We’ll see you there, then,” Tails said, and he and Cosmo both rose to their feet. “All that’s left now are Rouge and Shadow. I don’t suppose you’d know where they are?”

“The Chaotix know everything!” Vector declared proudly. “… Except that.”

“At this time of day, Team Dark will be performing training exercises,” Espio said, pulling out a USB stick. “Here is a list of locations you might find them.”

“Wow! How’d you get _that_?” Charmy asked.

“It is my job to know where everybody is at any time. I have data on _all_ of our friends.”

“Creep.”

Espio’s eye twitched. “It’s so we can carry out our work.”

“Uh-huh. Just sounds creepy if ya ask me.”

Espio took a deep breath, and handed the drive to Tails. “Just take it. It should help you.”

“Thanks.” Tails took the drive, and then and Cosmo said their goodbyes as they departed aboard the Cyclone.

After they were gone, Vector turned to Espio. “It _is_ kinda creepy, Espio.”

“Hmph.”

* * *

As Shadow weaved between landmines and dodged the heavy fire of automated turrets, he pulled out his handgun and shot the targets along the wall, obtaining a perfect score, and then drifted around the corner and raced towards the end, completing the obstacle course as Rouge stopped the timer in her hand.

“Not bad! You set a new record,” she said, high-fiving the hedgehog as he shot a challenging grin towards Omega.

“Your time _is_ impressive,” Omega said, approaching the start of the course, “But it will soon be broken. Prepare yourself for humiliation!”

Rouge reset the timer and held her arm up. “Okay Omega, on your mark… get set… go!”

As Omega raced onto the course, Shadow and Rouge noticed Tails approaching them, alongside… “Cosmo?” Rouge asked, flying to meet the two. “Well I’ll be! Didn’t expect _this_ today.”

Cosmo tilted her head. “You… don’t sound all that shocked that I’m suddenly alive again.”

Rolling her eyes, Rouge said, “Honestly? I already went through all that when I saw _this guy_ was still alive.” She pointed her thumb at Shadow, who was approaching the group, staring at Cosmo. She stared back, gripping her left arm and trying to keep her legs from trembling.

Shadow reached out a hand, or rather, a fist, and offered the girl a gentle smile. She looked into his eyes. They were much less angry than what she recalled. Almost peaceful. She returned his smile and met his fist with her own. “Good to see you again,” he said.

“Yeah,” she answered, breathing a sigh of relief. He seemed much nicer now than their last encounter.

“And uh, sorry for before,” he followed, turning his head away. “About thinking you were a spy and trying to kill you. And then… _actually_ killing you…”

“Oh, i-it’s fine,” Cosmo said. “I mean, I _did_ ask you to. Anyway, I’m happy to start over as friends, if you’d like that.”

Shadow simply smiled and nodded his head lightly.

“Actually, everyone’s getting together later to have a party for Cosmo,” Tails added. “You guys should come, too.”

Suddenly, Omega drifted into view, kicking up a trail of dust as he skidded across the finish line with a victorious dab.

“Challenge complete! What was my time?”

“… AH!” Rouge clicked the timer, giving an apologetic look. “Sorry! I totally forgot! Um, do-over?”

“…” Omega deflated, his head hanging low.

“Uh, yeah, we’ll be there,” Shadow told Tails, “After we’re finished with our training.”

“Got it. We’ll see you later, then.”

Cosmo bowed and said her goodbyes, and she and Tails returned to the Cyclone while Team Dark got back to their training.

* * *

“Well, that’s everyone, then.” Tails and Cosmo flew over Emerald Hill aboard the Cyclone. The sun was beginning to set and it gave the sky a fiery, orange tint. “Well, everyone except Doctor Eggman I guess,” he added with a laugh.

“Doctor Eggman… Is he still doing bad things?”

“Yeah, hasn’t stopped since we came back to Earth,” he told her.

Cosmo frowned. “I was hoping he had changed, seeing as he helped us defeat Dark Oak.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. We’ve teamed up with him a few times, but it’s always only been when we’ve had a common enemy. As soon as the threat’s averted, he goes right back to trying to take over the world.”

“But you guys always stop him, right?”

“Yep, we sure do!” As they flew over a clearing down below, Tails checked the time and then started to descend. “Hey, let’s make a quick stop here.”

“Here?” Cosmo asked, looking over the side of the plane curiously. She saw a crater on the ground below, and after a few seconds, she realised where they were. “Oh. This is where I crash-landed, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Tails landed the Cyclone and climbed out onto one of the wings, extending his hand to Cosmo. “This is where it all began. Where you first entered our lives.”

Tails sat down on the wing, and Cosmo joined him. The looked up at the sky together, now a bright red as the sun dipped lower over the horizon. “So pretty,” she whispered.

“It is,” Tails agreed, “But I guess you’ve seen more amazing sights than this, huh?”

Cosmo shook her head. “I’ve seen the sunset before, but it’s never felt as wonderful and peaceful as this.” She held her hand over her chest, closing her eyes. “I wonder if it’s because _you’re_ here, enjoying it with me?”

“… Hey, Cosmo?” Tails began, blushing. “About what you said before… Y’know, when you told me that I had to… to fire the cannon…”

“Hm?” Cosmo asked, tilting her head. Then, as she noticed Tails’ red face and his eyes darting away from her, it dawned on her what he was talking about, and she too turned crimson and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh!”

“You said that you… loved me…”

“Um, y-yes,” she said, shrinking back and moving her hands further up her face. “Uuuuuuu! I’m sorry! I said it in the heat of the moment!”

“But you meant it, right?”

“… Yes,” she said, softly. “I mean, I think. When I’m with you, I feel at ease, like nothing bad will happen, and even if it does, we’ll be able to see it through together.” She lowered her hands, looking Tails in the eyes. “I feel like everything will be okay, as long as you’re by my side.”

“Me too,” Tails said. He reached out and held her hands, lowering them further so that her face was in full-view. Both were blushing fiercely. “Saying goodbye to you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Even though we only knew each other for a short amount of time, whenever I thought of you, my heart beat so fast and I felt like I could do _anything_!”

“Tails…”

“I wanted to save you,” Tails continued, tears welling in his eyes. “I wanted to think of another way we could save everyone, without having to give you up! I thought harder than I ever have in my life, but I couldn’t think of anything! I let you down!”

Cosmo reached a finger forwards and wiped away Tails’ tears, as tears of her own began to form. “You never let me down, Tails. I was happy, knowing that you cared about me so much.”

“I love you, Cosmo.” Cosmo sniffed, grasping Tails’ hand with her own. “I should have said it back, but I was just… too sad, and too scared, and… I do, Cosmo. I love you.”

“Tails…” Cosmo saw Tails lean closer to her. She closed her eyes and moved her head forwards, meeting him halfway as they kissed.

They parted after a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes as Tails held his hand over Cosmo’s. Everything was peaceful, and they both were so happy… They both turned back to watch the last minutes of the sunset, Cosmo resting her head on Tails’ shoulder as Tails held her close.

Several minutes passed with the two of them simply enjoying each other’s company. The sky grew darker, and it was only then that Tails took note of how late it was getting. “I guess we should probably head to Vanilla’s place, or the party will end without us.”

“You’re right.”

After sharing one final kiss, Tails and Cosmo boarded the Cyclone and took off, flying together into the serene night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I was writing this chapter, I discovered there was a subreddit dedicated to our favourite plant girl: https://www.reddit.com/r/SaveCosmo/
> 
> As well as a Discord server: https://disboard.org/server/join/733078662294798517
> 
> Just thought I'd give 'em a quick plug as it's always nice to meet new Cosmo fans XD


	7. Epilogue

Cosmo awoke to the ringing of her alarm. Groggily, she reached over and pressed the button to shut it off, wiping her eyes and yawning. She reached out her hand and searched, pawing at the air until she found a chord beside her bed. She gave it a tug and her blinds opened, allowing light it fill the room. As the rays of the morning sun hit her body, she suddenly felt herself becoming energised and her eyes opened completely.

Jumping out of her bed, Cosmo hurried over to her dresser to brush her hair and get changed. After she was done, she left and went downstairs, where she found Vanilla and Gemerl in the kitchen preparing lunches, and Cream, Cheese and Chocola at the table, eating breakfast.

“Good morning, Cosmo,” Cream called out as she noticed Cosmo approaching. “Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning,” she returned, taking a seat beside her friend. “Yes, it was nice.” Gemerl placed a bowl of cereal down infront of her. “Oh, thank you.”

“Eat up now, you two,” Vanilla said as she approached the table with breakfast of her own. “You don’t want to miss the train.”

The two heeded her advice and ate fast. It had been one month since Cosmo began living with Vanilla and Cream. She had enrolled at the same school as Cream, though she was a couple of grades above her. The school itself was in Central City, but they lived in a small, country village just on the outskirts, and so had to commute by train each day.

“Have you settled in now, Cosmo?” Vanilla asked.

Cosmo nodded. “Yes, school’s been a lot of fun! I’ve made lots of friends, thanks to Chris and the others,” she said. On her first day, four of her new classmates – Chris, Danny, Frances and Helen – helped her to feel welcome. “My teacher, Mr. Stewart, is also really nice. But… is it normal for a teacher to talk into their watch when they think nobody’s looking?”

“Hmmm, probably not,” Vanilla said with a smile.

“Oh, is it okay if I come back late tonight?” Cosmo asked. “I want to go visit a… friend, later.”

“That’s fine, just make sure you don’t miss the last train back,” Vanilla replied. “And give my regards to Tails, okay?” she added with a teasing look. Cosmo blushed, and both she and Cream laughed.

After they finished eating, the two girls collected their lunches and gathered their bags. “We’re leaving!” Cream called out as she opened the door. “Cheese, Chocola, look after the house with Mum, okay?”

“Chao, chao!”

“Chaooooo!”

“Bye,” Cosmo said with a wave as she followed Cream outside. Upon hearing bells ring in the distance, she gasped. “Oh no, the train!”

“Race you, Cosmo!” Cream said, taking off in a sprint towards the station.

“Hey, no fair!” Cosmo called out as she gave chase, the two laughing as they raced through the village.


End file.
